Basketball miracles

Chapter 114 [When the wall falls, everyone pushes it]

That evening, major media outlets across the United States reported on Xiao Tu's knockout of Larry Bird with a single punch, making it a sports headline.

The Lakers' home victory over the Celtics seems less important; the sight of a super rookie beating a two-time MVP is far more captivating. This is unprecedented and unlikely to be repeated.

The most amazing thing is that, apart from Boston fans, almost everyone supported Xiao Tu and thought Bird deserved it.

The general sentiment among American fans is – well played! Bird deserved to be punched!
Xiao Tu's popularity soared after the dunk contest, firmly holding the top spot in the league and earning him the nicknames "half-man, half-god" and "superman."

Bird was only fifth in popularity in the Eastern Conference during the All-Star voting, and his popularity subsequently declined slightly, earning him nicknames like "The Bird" and "The Hillbilly".

You can tell the difference between the two just by looking at their nicknames. Bird's nickname comes from his surname "Bird," while Xiao Tu's nickname comes from the fact that people think he is the most powerful.

Bird's record isn't good, so of course fans will support the handsome guy. Who would support the ugly one?
Actually, Bird's fifth-place ranking is somewhat misleading, because only four forwards in the Eastern Conference have stats high enough to qualify for the All-Star game. Fans were forced to vote for Bird, Dr. J, and Irving. Many people weren't necessarily fans; they were just voting as a side effect.

Kyrie Irving, nearing retirement, is the most popular forward, with Larry Bird second, barely making it into the starting lineup. It's worth noting that even Pistons veteran Laurent Fielder, averaging 10.9 points per game, made the list, ranking fifth in the forward poll.

Los Angeles media specifically mentioned that Bird insulted Xiao Tu's mother, who had passed away from illness, which escalated the incident. Out of respect for the deceased, Lakers fans were furious and labeled Bird as "unethical."

Even Commissioner David Stern couldn't stop the Los Angeles media from questioning Bird's character, let alone the fact that the news reports were true. The Los Angeles media disliked Bird last season, and now they finally have a chance to criticize him mercilessly.

There's no denying this. The game was broadcast nationwide and had record-breaking viewership. Bird is widely considered the league's worst trash-talker. Even if viewers couldn't hear Bird's voice, they could tell from his lip movements that he was constantly swearing.

Classic trash talk is just that, while non-classic talk is just profanity.

As a result, casual fans have a very bad impression of Bird, and his popularity will definitely decline significantly, which is somewhat like "everyone kicking a man when he's down".

Xiao Tu had mocked the Celtics players for playing dirty before the game, and Bird did the same thing during the game, which was just asking for trouble.

Xiao Tu's popularity rose instead of fell after he assaulted someone, and people thought he was incredibly strong. His one-punch knockout of his opponent was the best proof of that.

The two are similar in height, but Xiao Tu's muscle definition and playing style are far superior to Bird's. Compared to Bird, Bird looks rather pathetic.

Even Bird's most devoted fans at his peak couldn't twist the facts and portray Bird as the one in the right. He clearly wanted to bully the rookie by committing heavy fouls, but he picked the wrong opponent.

Xiao Tu had anticipated that the fans' opinions would be in his favor, and he was extremely pleased after reading the news.

In the future, fans will only need to search online for this news and our photos to clearly see who is stronger.

Bird is too skinny, how can he compare to me? The difference between us is like the difference between a young sword demon and a fitness coach.

Celtics fans will definitely hate me even more now. But that doesn't matter; these guys never liked me before.

Xiao Tu won a resounding victory, and in just one night, Bird's public image was on the verge of collapse.

Fans realized that Bird's behavior in the All-Star game wasn't about conserving energy, but rather about avoiding facing Xiao Tu. This time, however, he had no choice but to give it his all against Xiao Tu, yet he still failed to score in double digits.

Was Bird the king of trash talk? Or a bully who preyed on the weak? Bird suffered far too many defeats against physically superior players.

The following day, Bird's injury was announced. He suffered a fractured left jaw and would miss at least four weeks of games.

Even if Bird wanted to give an interview to criticize Xiao Tu, he couldn't. His mouth was temporarily unable to open wide, and it was crooked. For the next few days, he could only rely on liquid food to fill his stomach.

Lying in his hospital bed, Bird questioned the meaning of life, unable to understand how things had come to this.

Bird wanted to take advantage of Xiao Tu's rookie status to severely damage his opponent's mentality and make Xiao Tu fear him. If he didn't suppress Xiao Tu during this period, it would be too difficult to control him later. Once the Lakers win the championship this season, Xiao Tu will have become a force to be reckoned with in the NBA.

He was being too simplistic. Without championships and personal accolades, Xiao Tu was not someone Bird could easily handle.

The Lakers had a practice in the morning, and at noon Magic Johnson and Xiao Tu were having lunch and chatting at a steakhouse. "Seb, you did a fantastic job. The Celtics' record was bound to drop while Bird was injured, and I was almost guaranteed to win MVP. You deserve half the credit for that." Johnson and Xiao Tu clinked glasses, both drinking juice.

"It was no trouble at all." Xiao Tu put down his cup and began cutting his steak.

"Watch out when you play the Celtics next game, they might retaliate," Johnson warned.

“No, he wouldn’t dare.” Xiao Tu smiled slightly: “Unless he’s tired of living.”

"..." Johnson gave Xiao Tu a thumbs up. He was genuinely impressed; he had never seen such a tough newcomer.

Xiao Tu is one of the most intimidating players in the NBA right now. He fouls relentlessly during games, and his opponents are likely to suffer serious injuries.

Xiao Tu continued, "I'm not a bad person like Lambiel, but if the other party strikes first, I will definitely retaliate. I hope there will be fewer people attacking me in the future."

Johnson said, "As long as you're primarily attacking the basket for points, you're bound to get fouled. You have to be careful because you don't play like Kareem, jumping straight up and down. The way Bird threw you down really scared me; you have no idea how terrifying it looked from the side."

"Thank you for your concern. I will be careful." Only now did Xiao Tu truly acknowledge Johnson as his elder brother.

The two didn't share many hobbies off the court and rarely hung out together, but on the court, Johnson always looked out for Xiao Tu. He not only passed the ball selflessly but was also happy to teach Xiao Tu how to pass and share his game experience.

Xiao Tu believes it was his luck; not every rookie is lucky to have a good mentor when they enter the league. If a player encounters bad teammates during a crucial developmental period, it can affect their entire career.

This was a major reason why he chose to play in the NBA in the 80s; Magic Johnson was his best teammate. In the 2003 Miami Heat, if Xiao Tu couldn't outplay the others with his skills, his playing environment would likely have been very poor.

As the two ate and chatted, Johnson asked, "How many championships do you think we can win if we keep playing like this?"

Xiao Tu said calmly, "I can't predict how many, but I think starting now, a three-peat and establishing a dynasty is definitely not a problem. Karim's age is not a problem; with the two of us here, that's enough."

"You're even more confident than I am."

Xiao Tu took a sip of water and smiled, "I'm confident, mainly because the Lakers have you. Without you passing me the ball, I wouldn't have improved so quickly. I can't even imagine what it would be like to join another team. If a point guard doesn't pass the ball, I'll definitely have a tough time."

Johnson was in high spirits: "Haha, of all my brothers, you're my favorite. You're always so clear-headed. If you joined another team, you definitely wouldn't be able to play this comfortably."

Johnson also recalled that during All-Star Weekend, Isaiah Thomas advised him to pass the ball to Xiao Tu less and keep the rookie in check to prevent him from being usurped.

If Magic Johnson had played more selfishly, the Lakers wouldn't be doing as well as they are now.

From Xiao Tu's perspective as a time traveler, Magic Johnson was the protagonist of the 80s NBA.

Johnson performed exceptionally well in his rookie season, and in the Finals, he stepped up to lead the team to victory when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was injured.

Johnson's career was not without its challenges. In the 1980-81 season, he suffered a torn cartilage in his left knee during a game against the Hawks, causing him to miss 45 games.

He was also upset by the Rockets in the first round, and there were conflicts between the coach and players, which made him very controversial.

In the previous two seasons, the Lakers lost in the Finals, and Johnson bore the main responsibility and immense pressure. This season, the Lakers must win the championship; Johnson cannot afford to lose again.

Xiao Tu felt that Johnson's career in the parallel world was very much in line with the rise of a novel's protagonist.

In his previous life, Xiao Tu enjoyed reading novels. The protagonists in basketball web novels usually first ride the coattails of superstars to get some benefits, then lose to the superstars and suffer setbacks, and then work hard to lead their teams to rise again.

It seems that at some point, the "suppression followed by elevation" trope became the fate of protagonists. If an author dared to deviate from this formula, readers would jump out and question the reader's ability to connect with the story, declaring it uninteresting. Even if they'd seen the same formula countless times, with the plot repeating itself endlessly.

Now, Xiao Tu has become a variable in this era, and he doesn't believe in fate. He firmly believes that he can replace the magician as the protagonist and wants to defeat all his opponents to the point of despair.

If you don't use cheats, you're a coward; if you use cheats and still act like a coward, then what's the point of using cheats?!
(End of this chapter)