Basketball miracles

Chapter 111 [From NBA to IBF]

During halftime, many reporters had already started writing their articles, not believing that the outcome of the match was still a foregone conclusion.

Furthermore, Larry Bird doesn't seem to have better stats than Xiao Tu at all. If he doesn't explode in the second half, Xiao Tu will completely outplay him in today's game.

In the second half, the Celtics, unwilling to give up, became more aggressive in their defense, prompting immediate responses from the Lakers. The game became increasingly intermittent and highly charged.

Players resorting to cheating when they can't win was a hallmark of the NBA in the 80s, and it's not something that can be changed overnight.

Today is the Lakers' home court, and the Celtics can't pull off any surprises. Last season's Finals, the Celtics even set traps at home.

In Game 5, the pivotal Game 5, the air conditioning in the cramped visiting team's locker room "just happened" to break down. The Lakers players waited for the game to start in near 40-degree Celsius heat; Kareem Abdul-Jabbar even wore an oxygen mask. Ultimately, he only made 7 of 25 shots, and the Lakers lost the crucial game.

At 7:05, the Lakers launched a fast break, a three-on-three situation in the frontcourt. Magic Johnson dribbled across half-court and passed the ball to Xiao Tu, who was following up on the right wing, setting him up for a one-on-one matchup with Bird.

Xiao Tu planned to end the attack in the most domineering way, making Bird a frequent feature in his dunk highlights and a background figure discussed by fans.

Trash talk and storytelling are too superficial. Xiao Tu believes that "classics" should be recorded in videos.

He calculated the distance perfectly, and without shaking off the defender, he gathered the ball, took three steps, and forced a jump against Bird, preparing for a one-handed dunk. Bird jumped almost simultaneously, grabbing Xiao Tu's neck with both hands and pulling him down from the air.

This move was aimed at the player, not the ball; it was clearly intended to injure him. Bird panicked; he absolutely didn't want to be dunked on by Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu is physically strong, but he still lost his balance and fell, which looked terrifying.

Xiao Tu's temper flared up instantly, and he was furious.

Okay, you've got guts!
You dare to commit malicious fouls despite the controversy? Let's see who's more ruthless today!
You can say that Bird's physical talent was average, and you can say that his career was not long enough, but you absolutely cannot say that he wasn't tough!
Bird got into numerous fights after entering the league, known for his fiery temper. During the last Finals, when the Celtics were in a difficult situation, it was Bird's outburst at his teammates in the locker room that spurred them to foul hard and toughen up.

He also criticized the newly appointed David Stern, believing that Stern manipulated Game 6 of the 1984 Finals to make more money and push the series to a seventh game.

Now, Lakers home fans are booing Bird, because his foul is very similar to McHale's "clothesline foul" in last season's Finals, both being dangerous moves involving grabbing someone's neck.

Heinson lamented, "Bird had a tough time against Shaw's defense today. His stats were worse than his opponent's, and he got anxious."

Even Heinsson, a Celtics legend, didn't dare to defend Bird's malicious foul. Xiao Tu criticized the Celtics players for their dirty defense during the All-Star Game, and now this has happened again.

How can I wash this? It's confirmed!

Stockton said, "Bird's foul was completely man-bound... Oh my god!"

The commentator exclaimed, "Oh, it's because Xiao Tu got up from the ground and threw a right hook that landed squarely on the left side of Bird's chin!"

Xiao Tu's punch was too fast. Bird didn't have time to react. He only heard a bang and felt like his head was flying off. He couldn't see anything and fell to the ground, feeling weightless.

Bird: 0(:3)～(:3っ)?
Viewers at home could clearly see Bird lying flat on his back after being knocked out by Xiao Tu's punch, as if he had entered a baby-like sleep.

The arena fell silent for three seconds, everyone staring in disbelief, including Lakers legend Elgin Baylor, who was sitting in the front row watching the game. Completely dumbfounded…

Then, the Lakers' home arena erupted in chaos!
Xiao Tu didn't hold grudges; he retaliated immediately. Unlike the game against the SuperSonics, Bird's fouls were much harsher than Chambers'.

I've had enough! I can't take it anymore!

If I wait a few minutes before committing a hard foul on Bird, I'm sure some stupid fans will criticize me, and I'll become the bad guy.

There are plenty of fans like this, especially those who are just casual fans 40 years from now. They might only see my malicious foul in the video, and how many people will remember that Bird made the first move?
Going from the NBA to the IBF (International Boxing Federation) is simpler than putting an elephant in a refrigerator—it only takes two steps.

I got up and knocked Bird down with one punch. That felt great!
Bird is a good opponent, and Xiao Tu was mentally prepared for it. Fighting him would be quite a spectacle.

Playing for the Lakers, Xiao Tu had even less scruples about his actions. Even if he were ejected, he still had star teammates, and the game was guaranteed to be won. Things happened so fast that neither the players nor the referees from either team had time to stop Xiao Tu.

Bird was knocked out, and the Celtics players were furious. The two big men immediately tried to gang up on Xiao Tu.

According to NBA tradition, it seemed like this was the time to start a team fight. Sure enough, the Lakers players swarmed in, not intending to wipe out all the Celtics players, but simply to separate the Celtics players from Xiao Tu.

At this moment, the Lakers' fans at the stadium were also furious, wishing they could rush onto the court and help fight.

Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson was leading the charge in berating the Celtics players from the front row, looking completely deranged. He even threatened to smash the visiting team's locker room door with a fire axe after the game if anyone hit Xiao Tu, showing the Celtics what "Here's Johnny!" really meant.

Everyone watching the game felt that the Lakers were different from last season. Since Xiao Tu joined, the Lakers players have shown more fighting spirit and are more united.

In the last Finals, if the Lakers players had immediately attacked McHale after Kurt Rambis was fouled maliciously, the Lakers would definitely have won the championship.

If you tolerate them for a moment, they will take an inch and then a mile; if you back down, they will only escalate their actions, and the team's momentum will be gone.

We must treat our enemies with the ruthlessness of a harsh winter.

Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to oneself.

Xiao Tu didn't foolishly stand still and fight the Celtics players. His movement was extremely skillful, dodging attacks by circling around Bird, who was lying dead on the ground.

His agility far surpassed that of most big men; McHale and Parish appeared incredibly clumsy compared to him. Parish's punch missed Xiao Tu, and he accidentally kicked Bird, tripping and stumbling himself.

If the Celtics had a few more players on the court, they might have been able to contain Xiao Tu. But none of their perimeter players dared to go up, fearing they'd be punched to death by Xiao Tu.

Bird lay motionless on the ground, seemingly having passed away peacefully. Given this precedent, who would dare challenge a burly man like Xiao Tu if they were less than two meters tall?
Both were slaps to the face, but Dr. J's punch to Bird didn't do much damage last time. Xiao Tu's punch, however, was terrifying.

The Celtics' perimeter players, observing from the sidelines, felt that if Xiao Tu got really into a frenzy, Parish and McHale wouldn't escape unscathed either. Xiao Tu seemed to be handling the game with ease, as if he could wipe out the Celtics' interior defense.

Xiao Tu would never do that. There's a cause for every grievance, and the debtor should be held accountable. His attack on Bird was self-defense, but attacking others was excessive self-defense.

He comes from an era where "fighting back means mutual beatings," where a slap in public could cost anywhere from a thousand to tens of thousands of yuan, second only to helping an elderly person on the street.

Xiao Tu felt great about being able to physically fight in the NBA, but there had to be a limit.

Killing anyone who gets in his way is indeed the most ruthless approach, but what if he gets banned?
He's no ordinary person; he can earn treasure chests as rewards for playing matches, but being suspended means he'll play fewer matches and suffer heavy losses.

The broadcast was live nationwide, and everyone saw that Bird made the first move. Xiao Tu believed that the audience's eyes were discerning.

The referee first separated the players from both sides to prevent a conflict, then called the Celtics' team doctor onto the court to check on Bird. Bird was already unconscious, and the team doctor did a lot of work, including checking his eyelids and pinching his philtrum. Bird didn't regain consciousness until the game was interrupted for nearly 4 minutes.

Bird was definitely unable to continue the game. He was dazed and was helped back to the locker room by the team doctor and his fringe teammates, where he was to go to the hospital for further examination.

Xiao Tu was already in the home team's locker room; the referee had sent him off the field. The referee's control of the game today was quite good, preventing the situation from escalating further.

Both teams are missing a star player, but the game can still continue. If the referee doesn't eject Xiao Tu, he definitely won't be able to quell the Celtics players' anger, and the two sides will likely start fighting again later.

The NBA, with its lack of a flagrant foul rule, is quite peculiar; referees often struggle to maintain a proper handicap. This game, a highlight of the series, was officiated by renowned NBA referees, which prevented a major escalation.

Xiao Tu left the court before completing his free throws, and Magic Johnson took his place at the free throw line, making both shots to score two points for free.

The referees awarded the Celtics two free throws, which was relatively fair. Dennis Johnson made both free throws.

At this point, the outcome was no longer in doubt. The Celtics were trailing by a large margin and were missing their star player; their morale had completely collapsed...

(End of this chapter)