Basketball miracles

Chapter 136 [The Ultimate Individual Heroism]

Back in the home team's locker room, Lakers players congratulated Xiao Tu on his outstanding performance, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is usually quiet and had very little playing time today.

Everyone felt like they were being carried along; passing the ball to Xiao Tu meant a sure win, and there was no pressure during the game.

Xiao Tu was incredibly strong today, even better than against the Nets. This is because it's the Western Conference Finals, and the opponent is much stronger than the Nets.

As we all know, the defensive intensity in the playoffs is much higher than in the regular season.

You're saying the opponent is the Nuggets? Well, their defense has to be stronger than the Nuggets' defense in the regular season.

That's the general feeling, it's based on impressions.

Xiao Tu's shooting isn't without its blind spots, but the Nuggets players couldn't stop him from shooting from comfortable positions. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar played this style of play, consistently demanding the ball in the low post on either side throughout his career, avoiding positions where he wasn't confident of success.

Compared to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Xiao Tu has a wider range of moves and a greater range of activity. He can now shoot mid-range shots, long-range shots, pick-and-roll cuts, Euro steps, low-post back-to-the-basket moves, and grab offensive rebounds for second-chance points.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's highest single-game score in the playoffs was only 46 points, a record he set when he was younger.

Today, Xiao Tu solidified his position as the Lakers' leading scorer, and no one can take that spot from him.

"You're amazing! If you had put in a few more shots today, you could have easily scored 60 points," Johnson exclaimed to Xiao Tu while showering, looking even more excited than Xiao Tu himself.

Xiao Tu laughed and said, "If you just pass me the ball more, I can challenge for 60 points in a single game in the Finals. I don't think Bird and McHale's defense is much better than the Nuggets' players."

Johnson paused for a moment, then asked with a smile, "Are you aiming for the Finals MVP?"

"Who wouldn't want individual glory? As long as we cooperate well, the Celtics can't stop me. We'll win the championship easily, sweeping them 4-0," Xiao Tu said bluntly.

Xiao Tu felt there was no need to hide some things; only by discussing them openly could teammates avoid any misunderstandings.

I became the team's leading scorer during my rise, how could I not want to compete for the Finals MVP?

If I play a fake game now, my teammates won't be happy; they'll just think I'm hypocritical.

Johnson also wasn't going to play games: "What if I also want to compete for the Finals MVP?"

"It's simple, I'll help you pad your stats too. Like today I'll take more shots, next game I'll take fewer shots, and when I do take shots I'll be receiving your passes and attacking the basket to give you assists. Most of the time I'll pull out and screen for you, so you can shoot as much as you want. If I get an offensive rebound, I'll pass it to you too. We'll each pad our stats in one game while ensuring we win, and then we'll see who the judges choose as MVP."

"..." Johnson felt that Xiao Tu was really good at talking. This seemed to be the most reasonable suggestion: fair competition.

If he objects, he will appear petty.

Xiao Tu continued, "We'll be a golden duo that dominates an era, winning many championships. That's the most important thing. I could never fight with you internally, don't you think?"

Xiao Tu's drawing of the pie was so big and beautiful that anyone who saw it would definitely want to eat it.

Johnson laughed and said, "I like your personality. You speak with reason and evidence, making it impossible for people to refuse you. Let's do it this way. I have no objections."

Some principles are very simple, and the players understand them, but whether they say them or not is a completely different matter. Johnson felt that Xiao Tu had risen to the level of a team leader, a far cry from his rookie season when he barely spoke to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, aiming for the Finals MVP, certainly wouldn't have communicated with Johnson beforehand. He would simply demand the ball on the court, trying to rack up better stats through post-up play. In the locker room, he would at most give Johnson a look, leaving his teammates to figure it out themselves.

Last season, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson didn't play together much in the Finals; they mostly went it alone.

If they had won the championship, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have been awarded Finals MVP. But the Lakers lost, and the two of them watched their opponents lift the trophy and were even mocked.

Johnson couldn't help but let his mind wander, feeling regretful about last season. If they had communicated and cooperated more, they probably could have won the championship last season too.

Johnson would certainly prefer to pass to Xiao Tu than to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the two did indeed have excellent chemistry. This time, he had a reason to ignore Abdul-Jabbar; Riley couldn't possibly allow Abdul-Jabbar to endlessly isolate and attack in the low post like he did last season.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar only knew one style of play and never thought of changing it. Johnson always felt that Abdul-Jabbar was a bit overrated, always relying on others to cooperate with him, and unable to adjust when things weren't going well.

Neither of them felt there was anything wrong with considering their Finals opponent now; the Nuggets were too easy to deal with. The Nuggets' one win in the regular season was purely by chance; in that game, the Lakers players were off their game and didn't execute their offense well. As long as the Lakers players played to their potential, they would definitely sweep the Nuggets and advance. If that was the case in the regular season, how much more so now that Xiao Tu is even stronger?

At the post-match press conference, Xiao Tu was the focus of attention.

He first shared his thoughts on achieving a triple-double. "I'm very happy to have accomplished this and join two Lakers legends. Most importantly, we won the game."

The reporter asked, "Many people think you scored fewer points in the regular season because you didn't take many shots. You put up better numbers in the playoffs. Do you feel like you're now one of the league's top scorers?"

In the first two rounds, many fans said that Xiao Tu's performance was better than Magic Johnson's because he scored more points.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leading scorer, so his scoring ability is naturally very strong, but Xiao Tu's scoring explosiveness surpasses his.

Xiao Tu nodded and smiled, "I think so. My stats today prove everything. But my success is inseparable from the cooperation of my teammates, especially Erwin's passing."

The reporter asked, "Between yourself and English, who do you feel is a better scorer?"

"We are in different positions and have different responsibilities on the field, so there is no comparison."

Another Los Angeles reporter, eager to stir up trouble, asked, "So, what about you versus Larry Bird?"

Xiao Tu pondered for a moment, then smiled and said, "We can't compare. Our playing styles are very different. Didn't Bird switch to small forward? He suddenly realized that he could help the team better at the small forward position."

Many Los Angeles reporters applauded Xiao Tu, as Los Angeles residents loved hearing Xiao Tu's "Cricket Bird".

Xiao Tu also expressed his special thanks to Coach Riley. "The coach encouraged me to take more shots, developed training plans for me, and enriched my offensive arsenal. He can always arrange tactics that suit our strengths. I put up very well-rounded stats today, mainly because the Lakers have the strongest roster and the best coach in the league."

The reporter asked, "You had a lot of great fadeaway jump shots and low-post back-to-the-basket moves today. You rarely played like that in the early part of the regular season. Was that also due to the tactical arrangements?"

Xiao Tu shook his head: "Before the All-Star game, my back-to-the-basket skills were average, and I wasn't very confident. Now I'm more and more confident in my back-to-the-basket game, which is the result of hard work."

The reporter asked, "You also made four three-pointers today. Was that part of the tactical plan?"

"Yes, because the coach knows I can make those shots. Teams rarely shoot threes, and I know some people say that my style of play, which I like to shoot threes, is unreasonable. But I think that since the league introduced the three-point line, it is reasonable and shouldn't just be a gimmick."

Xiao Tu knew that President David Stern would love to hear these words.

A game where all the players are clustered around the penalty area is really not a good watch. Other coaches might not think so; old-school coaches like to let their players wrestle around in the penalty area.

The reporter asked, "You played at a superstar level in your first playoff game. Weren't you nervous as a rookie?"

"Why should I be nervous? I have many excellent teammates, and we are all confident in winning the game. Without the pressure of losing, I won't be nervous."

Xiao Tu keeps using the word "we," but fans love watching his brilliant individual performances.

This match was the epitome of individual heroism.

Reporters also interviewed other star players, with Magic Johnson praising Xiao Tu and explicitly stating his willingness to pass him the ball.

The limitations of the era prevented Johnson from ever considering that he could handle both offense and playmaking, taking on more offensive responsibilities. He believed that there would be no conflict between him and Xiao Tu regarding ball possession, as long as Xiao Tu was not responsible for handling the ball and organizing the offense.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't look too good. Riley told him to conserve his energy for the Finals, but he could tell it was a power transition.

He did not express any dissatisfaction because he had just turned 38 in April.

Most NBA players have already retired by this age. If Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is unwilling to relinquish control, the Lakers' management will consider trading him. All teams prioritize developing new core players; no matter how illustrious a veteran was before, they will only continue to decline.

The Lakers need a new superstar scorer. It's much easier for the coaching staff to develop a young scorer than to encourage Johnson to take more shots and work out hard.

(End of this chapter)