Basketball miracles

Chapter 1 [Starting at the Multiverse Level]

Is the world I live in virtual or real?
Every time I travel through time, I ponder this question. Different environments, different times—it feels like stepping into another world.

But each time I wake up from a dream, my confidence grows stronger.

The fall of 1984 marked the start of the NBA regular season.

In a double apartment in Los Angeles, California, Xiao Tu got up early and went to the bathroom. After urinating, he pulled up his pants, washed his hands, and rubbed his face. The square mirror reflected the image of a young American.

With his neat buzz cut, sharp eyebrows, bright eyes, and handsome face, his mixed-race features—black hair and black eyes—added a touch of oriental charm to his good-looking face.

Whenever he sees this face, he feels happy; his strong physique, standing at 206cm tall with shoes on, seems like a masterpiece of God.

At 18, his heart pounded powerfully, his pulse pulsating with boundless energy, as if he possessed inexhaustible strength and could do anything. Even his urination was like a high-pressure water gun; the only person on Earth who could surpass him was a Korean man named Byun Kang-sui.

Xiao Tu changed into his sportswear and drove his secondhand 1967 Chevrolet Impala to the stadium, buying two hamburgers for breakfast along the way.

He drove safely westward, and Los Angeles in 1984 seemed to pass by like frames of old photographs.

The air in Los Angeles during this era is so sweet and fresh, a peculiar luxury. In the future, Los Angeles will have terrible air quality; Xiao Tu can smell the sulfur even through his computer screen… If it weren't for Trump deploying troops and using high-pressure water cannons to spray protesters, Los Angeles would have burned down.

The streets appeared particularly wide due to the sparse traffic, and the low, dilapidated buildings on both sides gave Xiao Tu a rather unremarkable feeling due to the blocky urban layout.

An international metropolis, the City of Angels, is this all?
The street was lined with young men and women with bizarre hairstyles and strange clothes, who thought they were fashionable. Xiao Tu saw a fake Wolverine, a Pocket Stark, Ripley... each with a ridiculous expression and an outdated outfit.

"Everyone is drunk but I am sober."

Xiao Tu muttered to himself, feeling a great sense of accomplishment as he translated another Chinese proverb into English. But then, thinking about how long he wouldn't be able to access the internet, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Ugh, the 80s were so boring."

"Back in 2003, at least I could access the internet and play Pro Evolution Soccer on PS. Here, there aren't even many TV channels."

That's right, he's a time traveler, his English name is Sebastian Shaw, and his Chinese name is Xiao Tu. He has one-quarter Chinese ancestry and also possesses the "protagonist template".

The original owner of this body had a rather unfortunate background; his parents passed away one after another due to illness a year ago. He was all alone, supporting himself with a small inheritance and odd jobs.

For someone who lost both parents so young to adulthood, it's hard to imagine living an ordinary life, judging from the template. That's what Xiao Tu thought when he first arrived. Even if he was poor, it didn't matter; it would be more interesting than his ordinary life before he transmigrated.

Now Xiao Tu can turn his hobby into a career and has the opportunity to become a star. In order to make a big career in the NBA, he even endured having to live permanently in the 80s.

He drove to the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, the current home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

It was the Forum Arena that brought this small city into the world's view. It's worth mentioning that Inglewood is next to Los Angeles International Airport, undoubtedly a unique locational advantage. Although far from the city center, it makes traveling to away games more convenient.

Previously, Xiao Tu had traveled to the draft day and participated in the draft as a high school student. Unwittingly, he became a rookie of the "Diamond Generation" alongside players like Hakeem Olajuwon and Michael Jordan. He only worked out for the Lakers and was selected late in the first round and 23rd overall thanks to his outstanding physical attributes.

At 8:30 a.m., several players were already practicing shooting. The substitutes were all working hard, eager to make a good impression on the head coach. The only starter who arrived early was shooting guard Byron Scott, last season's fourth overall pick.

Scott was a social butterfly who could make friends with anyone. He greeted Xiao Tu loudly as soon as he saw him. "Good morning, Seb (nickname)."

"Hey, Byron." Xiao Tu waved, his voice not quiet either.

The players generally have loud voices, and swearing during the game is a must.

Xiao Tu knew Scott's future; they would fight side by side for a long time.

Scott was never an All-Star, but he was a Lakers legend, averaging 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in his peak season. In 2003, Scott was at the height of his career as the Nets' head coach, leading the team to the NBA Finals for two consecutive years.

Scott asked, "We have our season opener tomorrow, and your opponent is the second overall pick. Are you nervous?"

"I can't wait any longer. You'd never guess how long I've been preparing for this game." Xiao Tu was brimming with energy, feeling like he could tear the Trail Blazers' second overall pick, Sam Bowie, in half like a Japanese soldier in an anti-Japanese war drama.

Scott paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "You're so confident? Bowie was a renowned defensive center in the NCAA, and he received high praise during the draft. You won't be able to score against him so easily."

"I'm different now than during the preseason. I had some secret training during the holidays, and my skills have improved a lot," Xiao Tu said proudly.

"We've only had three days off, how much can you improve?"

"You'll know right away."

Xiao Tu chatted with Scott for a few minutes, then took off his coat and started warming up.

The two passed the ball back and forth, practicing shooting on one half of the court. Xiao Tu quickly found his rhythm, and his mid-range shooting percentage from the middle and the 45-degree angles on both sides was surprisingly no lower than Scott's, who relied on jump shots. Scott couldn't believe it, but Xiao Tu still felt that the shooting distance wasn't far enough and suggested they have a three-point shooting contest.

Then, as soon as Lakers' current head coach Pat Riley arrived at the court, he saw Xiao Tu receive the ball in the middle and hit consecutive pull-up three-pointers.

Riley was delighted to see Xiao Tu practice shooting for five minutes.

While Xiao Tu was resting, Riley called him over and asked, "How come your shooting has suddenly become so good?"

During the preseason, Xiao Tu's mid-range shooting percentage was low, making only two shots in total. His scoring mainly came from cutting to the basket after screens and receiving the ball. If he had been this accurate before, Riley wouldn't have only let him play 20 minutes a game, making him a pseudo-starter.

Xiao Tu said excitedly, "I've been practicing shooting all holiday, and I've suddenly found my rhythm these past two days."

Riley laughed and said, "Good, very good! You should keep practicing your shooting from now on."

Xiao Tu nodded, determined to never let Riley know the truth. To outsiders, he was a genius, having mastered shooting in an extremely short time.

After three days of separation, you should look at each other with admiration.

After all the Lakers players arrived, Riley arranged a scrimmage to practice offensive and defensive tactics. Xiao Tu, who can stretch his shooting, was given more shot attempts on offense, and Riley wanted him to be the surprise weapon for the opening game.

The Trail Blazers coach will definitely assign players to guard Lakers' two superstars, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Xiao Tu is a low draft pick and the least noticeable player on the court, making him more likely to get shot opportunities.

Because Xiao Tu's athleticism far surpasses that of white backup center Mitch Kupchak, Riley plans to have him fill in at center for certain periods. He's been given a significant role, and his average playing time during his rookie season is sure to exceed thirty minutes per game.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is already 37 years old this year, so he needs to manage his energy wisely. As long as Xiao Tu doesn't get injured, he will be the Lakers' most-playing interior player next season.

After playing a training match for a while, Xiao Tu, who had performed exceptionally well, was substituted to rest and dreamed about the future on the sidelines.

"My starting position is secure. Now I need to fight for more shot attempts, at least not less than Scott and Worthy."

"The Lakers played very well as a team... sigh, being too much of a team makes it hard to pad your stats."

"Unless Kareem Abdul-Jabbar retires, I can't average more than 20 shots per game. It's not that easy to turn Jordan into Dan Zi, but beating the Bulls with the Lakers isn't difficult."

"It was definitely easier to become the leader on the 2003 Heat team, but unfortunately, he was too weak. Once I've improved my skills, I'll go back to eating, sleeping, and beating LeBron."

Xiao Tu always thinks about 2003 because he has superpowers.

He has extensive experience in time travel, receives the original owner's memories, and can freely travel between the two worlds. Every time he leaves, time in that world stops.

Xiao Tu even suspected that he could create a new timeline, but he hadn't tried to do so yet.

Given his name, it wouldn't be surprising if he were transported to Shanghai in 1939 and went undercover at the Japanese consulate. His codename would be "Wasp," which sounds like Chingmy Yau's bespectacled uncle.

If he didn't love basketball, it would be a waste of his talent to be a professional basketball player; his starting point was on a multiverse level.

Xiao Tu's first time travel was to 2002, where he became a freshman at Harvard University. His appearance and name were exactly the same as now, the only difference being that his physical abilities were average, and he was a small forward who was 201cm tall.

He had a rough start, getting thrashed on the Harvard team. In his third game for the team, he was completely outmatched by an unknown Black student, failing to score a single point.

That night, Xiao Tu was incredibly agitated, longing to empty his magazine... no, he longed for a stronger body and more time to practice. He didn't want to spend years on a university campus before participating in the draft; he didn't have that kind of patience.

When he woke up, he found himself transported to Los Angeles in 1984.

Power forwards are a level above small forwards in terms of physical attributes, considered top-tier in the 80s. Xiao Tu quickly accepted the fact that he had traveled back in time again and was delighted to be selected by the Lakers.

He trained hard in basketball during the summer, and after reporting for duty, he impressed the team with his explosive power, winning over blue-collar power forward Kurt Rambis and veteran Bob McAdu, who had won the regular season MVP, and became the team's starting power forward.

After many attempts, Xiao Tu also mastered the trick to traveling between the two worlds: constantly thinking about the other world before going to sleep.

He was also surprised to find that the small forward's physical attributes and skills had improved as well. He trained in different worlds, but the techniques he developed were interconnected, and the improved physical attributes could be transferred to another body.

So he trained hard at Harvard for nearly eight months until the 2003 NBA draft, when he was selected 33rd overall in the second round by the Miami Heat, returning to the era of 1984.

Tomorrow is the Lakers' home opener for the new season, and Xiao Tu has made full preparations to make a splash in the opening game.

Sam Bowie, a 216cm tall and 107kg center, is one of the most notorious busts in NBA history. He was drafted second overall, ahead of Michael Jordan, simply because the Portland Trail Blazers' general manager wanted a center.

Xiao Tu firmly believes that he can take off by riding on Bao Wei's coattails, as this guy is quite famous now.

　My new book is out! As a returning author, I'm sure the quality is guaranteed, so please give it your support! Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)