Basketball miracles

Chapter 108 [I Want to Beat Bird Every Time]

boom! boom! boom! boom……

During the Lakers' morning routine practice, Xiao Tu arrived very early and performed a series of straight-leg dunks in a half-court game.

Several substitute players also arrived early and were whispering among themselves on the sidelines.

"Won't he be too tired to play tonight after dunking like that?"

"No! I once came to extra training and saw him train intensely. For him, this is just a warm-up. He can dunk twenty times in a row and he has to do many sets before he feels tired."

"Is he really from Earth? He seems more like someone from Krypton."

"He's too strong. I think he will definitely surpass Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the future. He will become the number one player in the league."

Almost everyone on the Lakers believes that Xiao Tu has greater potential, not only because his physical attributes far surpass those of the two superstars, but also because he trains harder.

A genius who works hard—how could someone like that not succeed?
Magic Johnson's physical attributes also surpass those of the Lakers' reserves; they feel they could put up a fight if they tried. They simply can't match Xiao Tu's physical prowess; they could train their whole lives and never reach that level. Just looking at their physiques, they're no match.

Xiao Tu has a very low body fat percentage, and at 108 kilograms, he doesn't look bulky at all. He's even developed skeletal muscles, and his V-line is practically swimming out of the water; you probably won't find another person like him in the NBA.

Xiao Tu had overheard his teammates talking about him, which gave him a sense of accomplishment, but not arrogance. He knew that his current strength was due to the weakness of his opponents.

The Lakers have the highest salaries of all teams, with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar earning over $400 million each, and the Lakers' total salaries this season are only $877 million.

The salary cap this season is $360 million, and most teams are ridiculously poor, with some weaker teams having a total salary of less than $300 million. With that little money, what kind of top players can they sign? If athletes had any other options, they wouldn't want to take a minimum salary in the NBA.

Marginalized people are too poor. They earn a low salary of 7 to 8 yuan and still have to pay taxes. It's almost the same as working in a factory.

Seventeen teams were on the verge of bankruptcy, and the owners couldn't sell them. Sterling bought the Clippers in 1981 for only $12.5 million; he wouldn't have bought them if it weren't for Jerry Buss's suggestion.

The NBA is full of toxic players with weak hands and feet; the overall environment is terrible. Xiao Tu felt that if he still couldn't play well, he might as well hang himself.

Xiao Tu only practiced two sets of dunks, and then focused on jump shots. He wanted to find his rhythm and try to shoot more three-pointers that night.

After the morning practice, Coach Pat Riley stopped Xiao Tu and asked, "Seb, I'd like to assign you to guard Bird tonight. Do you have any questions?"

“No problem, I’d love to.” Xiao Tu paused for a moment, then added, “I hope to get more shots in this game, more opportunities to cut and score. Bird can’t stop me. If I draw a double team, I can pass to a teammate in a better position.”

Xiao Tu would demand possession of the ball whenever he had the chance; it would be best if he could get it, and there was no harm in trying.

If he focuses all his energy on defense and takes very few shots on offense, even if he shuts down Bird, he won't be happy. Wouldn't he just become a defensive role player?

Offense is the best defense. If Xiao Tu is unstoppable on offense, Bird will expend a lot of energy on defense. He doesn't believe Bird can be as energetic and versatile on both offense and defense as him.

Riley asked, "You want to beat Bird to a pulp?"

"Yeah. I want to beat Bird every time, not just to help the team win. Even if I can't do it now, I definitely will in the future. I want to give it a try," Xiao Tu said casually.

Riley laughed and said, "Okay, I'll have Elvin pass you the ball more tonight."

Riley also thinks Xiao Tu is the most outspoken player in the NBA. Who is Bird? Last season's double MVP, currently receiving higher praise than Magic Johnson.

Xiao Tu's statement that he wants to beat Bird every time is actually a way of saying that he is ready to surpass Magic Johnson.

Riley wasn't surprised; he knew Xiao Tu was an ambitious young man from the very first day of the new season. In contrast, Magic Johnson never had the ambition to become the league's best player, relying solely on his talent and indulging in a life of pleasure.

Riley wanted to see what Xiao Tu could achieve in his rookie season and didn't mind giving him a push.

The Lakers arrived at the Great Western Forum on time in the afternoon. Xiao Tu was interviewed by reporters outside the arena and once again challenged Bird. "I can't wait to match up against Bird, even if he beats me, I won't back down. I hope the Celtics' coach won't arrange for someone else to match up against me like he did during the All-Star Game, that would be pointless."

Xiao Tu had anticipated that the Celtics wouldn't like him, but he still dared to make harsh remarks in interviews. The more confident he was during the nationally televised games, the more fans he attracted.

He is not afraid of failure and being proven wrong, nor does he believe he will fail.

An enemy is an enemy; you can't turn someone into a friend just because you say nice things about them. If Xiao Tu were to actually praise Larry Bird, I don't know what the fans would think, but his teammates would definitely think he's brain-dead.

This is the Lakers' home court. If the Celtics players play too roughly on defense, they're asking for trouble. After the controversy following the All-Star Game, they're now under intense scrutiny.

If you can't beat them, fight them. Bringing a basketball along in a fight... isn't out of the question. Xiao Tu thought that if a real fight broke out, those Celtics guys would be asking for a beating.

Xiao Tu was already mentally prepared for a fight; if anyone dared to make the first move, he would definitely retaliate. Laimbeer was his best choice as an opponent, and Bird could also be ranked in the top five; a fight with Bird would be a real spectacle.

The Celtics' coaching staff and players knew this road trip would be tough, but they didn't expect it to be this tough.

The Atlantic Forum is an intimidating home court. As soon as the Celtics' team bus arrived at the arena, many Los Angeles fans surrounded the bus and booed it wildly.

If there's one team in NBA history that has never had to worry about home attendance, it's undoubtedly the Lakers.

The Lakers' home court was packed again today, and when the Celtics players entered the game, the Lakers fans immediately erupted in deafening boos. Their atmosphere was as if they were about to storm onto the court and gang up on the visiting team.

Xiao Tu's post-game comments inflamed the hostile sentiments of Los Angeles fans, who all felt that the Celtics had cheated the Lakers out of the championship last season.

The boos were the loudest when McHale entered the game, and there were also many shouts of "Fuck you!" from the crowd. This guy committed a malicious foul and went unpunished; he wasn't even ejected from that game. It was truly outrageous.

The Celtics players, who were eager to defeat Xiao Tu, suddenly felt immense pressure and became somewhat discouraged.

Why don't we spare his life for now and talk about it when we get back to our home ground?

Anyone who dares to commit a vicious foul against Xiao Tu today will likely incite public outrage.

The Lakers players were greeted with thunderous applause as they entered the arena. Xiao Tu, the third-to-last player to enter, received a deafening ovation; despite his unchanged order of appearance, he was already the most popular player on the team.

Los Angeles fans adore Xiao Tu, not just for his spectacular dunks and handsome looks, but also for his outspokenness. Both Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar chose to remain silent after suffering defeats in last season's Finals. Fans believe that if Xiao Tu were present, he would definitely have launched a scathing attack at the press conference.

His toughness isn't just on the court; it's toughness in his bones!

Judging from the boos at the stadium, viewers watching on TV could feel just how terrifying the Lakers' morale was!
During warm-up, Xiao Tu repeatedly delivered spectacular dunks, earning even more applause. In contrast, the two floor-bound white power forwards on the Celtics were practicing shooting, slowly and leisurely, seemingly lacking energy.

Commentator Tom Heinson said, "If the Celtics want to win today, they have to stop Sebastian Shaw. He's been in incredible form since becoming the Slam Dunk Contest champion, scoring 40+10 in two consecutive games. I feel he's more of a threat than Magic Johnson or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar today."

Dick Stockton said, "In terms of roster depth, the Celtics are not at a disadvantage. Maxwell, the small forward who won the Finals MVP, has been out of form this season, but McHale is playing much better than last season. I think the key to the outcome will be the matchup between Bird and Shaw."

Heinson nodded and said, "McHale is a strong contender for Sixth Man of the Year this season. But I don't think he's capable of going up against Shaw. There's a huge difference in their physical attributes. Bird will have to be the primary defender."

Stockton laughed, "Bird can't stop Shaw either, it was very obvious in the All-Star game. Today the pressure is on Bird, he has to at least out-stat line with him, otherwise he'll lose face."

Celtics coach KC Jones knew the team's defensive weaknesses but had no better option than to put two floor-bound white players against Xiao Tu. Maxwell was in poor form, and his defense against Xiao Tu was a complete waste.

The starting lineups for both teams were as follows: Lakers' five players: Magic Johnson, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Xiao Tu, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Celtics' five players are: Dennis Johnson, Danny Ainge, Maxwell, Bird, and Robert Parish.

Parish won the jump ball, and the game began.

(End of this chapter)