Basketball miracles

Chapter 139 [The Final Battle of the Gods Descending to Earth]

When the news broke that day, people felt that Xiao Tu's statement "predicting seven games in the Finals" was also a sarcastic remark directed at Larry Bird.

Bird had publicly accused the league of manipulating Game 6 of the 1984 NBA Finals, claiming that the officiating favored the Lakers, which caused a huge uproar.

According to Bird's theory, this year's Finals should also be a seven-game series. There's no reason for the league to skip making money this season just because it wanted to control the games and make more money last season.

Xiao Tu made no mention of Commissioner Stern or the referees, but many remember that the Celtics earned 48 free throws when playing at home during the regular season. The Lakers scored more in the paint, while the Celtics relied on jump shots but had more free throws – is that reasonable?
When interviewed, the Lakers' coaches and players all expressed confidence in winning the championship, but they didn't mention how many games it would take.

This contrasted sharply with the Celtics, making the difference in morale immediately apparent. Neither the Celtics' coach nor the players dared to declare their intention to win the championship, only saying they would give it their all.

Did the Celtics win a game despite their best efforts? It seems like they couldn't have won any more.

The 2-3-2 format is no longer important; almost everyone believes the Lakers will lift the trophy on the Celtics' home court this year.

A score of 4-0 or 4-1 is sufficient; a sixth game is not necessary.

The first game of the Finals was held at the Lakers' home arena, and tickets were extremely hard to come by. Fans were eager to see Xiao Tu perform, and if a reporter randomly interviewed someone, they would find that they were a fan of Xiao Tu; his popularity had completely surpassed that of Magic Johnson.

Moreover, Los Angeles fans are filled with hatred when they talk about the Celtics.

A female fan said, "I hope Shaw can dunk more than 10 times today and give that weird-looking birdman a good beating!"

Veteran fan: "Larry Bird is nothing! Shaw will definitely shut him down today! He's just a piece of trash who's been artificially hyped up!"

A middle-aged single male fan said, "I don't need a girlfriend because I've been cursing the Celtics every day since last year's Finals!"

Bird is public enemy number one in Los Angeles, and some fans even hope that Xiao Tu will punch him again and send him to his knees.

Riley boosted morale in the locker room, and the tactics he devised were to attack with Xiao Tu as the core.

Unlike the previous game, Riley did not assign Xiao Tu to primarily guard Bird, but instead matched up James Worthy against Bird. This change was intended to allow Xiao Tu to focus his energy on the offensive end in his pursuit of the Finals MVP.

This was the boss Jerry Bass's idea; he spoke directly to Riley Ming.

The Bass family are all fans of Xiao Tu. Especially 24-year-old Jenny Bass, who would have already approached Xiao Tu if he and Madonna hadn't gone public with their relationship.

Jerry Buss believed that as long as Xiao Tu played for the Lakers, the team would definitely make money, and there was no need to worry about attendance. This season, Lakers fans are scrambling for tickets, regardless of seating.

Riley became somewhat arrogant after the two regular-season wins against the Celtics. He felt that not having Xiao Tu guard Bird was a disrespect to Bird and would only provoke him further. He figured if Worthy's defense was ineffective and the double-team strategy failed, then it wouldn't be too late to have Xiao Tu guard him.

If Bird and Worthy perform poorly in their matchup, the Celtics' morale will definitely suffer even more. In the last series, the Nuggets' English was able to dominate Worthy one-on-one.

Riley also wanted to see what stats Xiao Tu could put up if he focused on offense, as he had a huge physical advantage against McHale. His post-up defense was also far superior to Worthy's performance as a makeshift power forward, making him a better fit for guarding McHale.

Actually, Riley's overthinking was unnecessary.

Xiao Tu had been consciously controlling his missed shots, accumulating 100 in each game, giving him a godlike buff in Game 1 of the Finals. The Celtics are doomed today; they'll likely suffer a very humiliating defeat.

In the visiting team's locker room, the Celtics players were silent, and KC Jones' attempts to boost morale failed to alleviate their psychological pressure.

No one was confident of winning, including head coach Jones and star player Larry Bird. Their loud encouragement for the players to be tougher and play with grit was equally doubtful.

Bloodlust? Is it about committing brutal fouls?

Last season, Bird used this same method to boost morale, and it worked. Today is different. Before the game, Xiao Tu directly criticized the Celtics players for playing dirty, and the fans also felt they were dirty. Will they be dirty again in the first away game?
They probably won't win if they don't play dirty... If they play dirty, would the referees still be biased towards the Celtics?
Xiao Tu created a huge butterfly effect, bringing the Lakers' chances of winning the championship almost to 100%. The first game became the Lakers' home game, and the team also had an additional superstar.

平行世界，1985年总决赛G1凯尔特人是主场作战，148比114狂胜湖人34分。

The Celtics took an early lead and were riding high on morale, leading many to believe they would successfully defend their title. However, the Lakers displayed remarkable resilience, with the players maintaining a strong mentality, ultimately staging a comeback to win 4-2.

Even a spirited Celtics team lost the championship; it's impossible for them to win on the road now. When the players entered the game, the Celtics were booed by the fans, while the Lakers players enjoyed applause.

Xiao Tu was once again the third-to-last player for the Lakers to appear, and the entire arena erupted in applause.

He no longer feels nervous during the game, even though today is the final.

He is the Lakers' most confident player, firmly believing they will win. Early on, his confidence stemmed from his two superstar teammates; now, it comes from his exceptional skill.

After introducing the lineups, commentator Tom Heinson started talking about gossip. "Madonna is also at the Lakers' home arena today. Shaw once said she wasn't interested in basketball, and this is her first time here in person."

Dick Stockton joked, "This is Shaw's most important game since she entered the league, and she should be here to support her boyfriend. She might even perform during halftime to warm up for her concert in Los Angeles tomorrow night."

Heinson said, "I don't know if Shaw will be a guest at Madonna's concert tomorrow, that might distract him."

Stockton shook his head and laughed, "I don't think he'll go, because he said he wasn't a Madonna fan at all, and only started listening to her songs after he got to know her."

After warming up, the starting players from both sides took the field. Before going on the field, Xiao Tu went to the front row and kissed Madonna, and the on-site cameraman gave them a close-up shot.

This is a glimpse into the game, with the fans applauding in unison. Xiao Tu's performance is so captivating, it's enviable; he's already won before the game even starts.

The Lakers' five players are: Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Worthy, Shaw, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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

Parish won the jump ball, and the game began.

Seeing Xiao Tu guard McHale, Bird secretly breathed a sigh of relief. In the two regular season games, he had been truly frustrated by Xiao Tu's defense and couldn't break through his "death grip".

McHale has a strong ability to attack in the low post, and Bird also plays very well at the small forward position. Now the Celtics' starting lineup is more reasonable.

Seeing that Xiao Tu was marking him, McHale felt the pressure increase dramatically. He had matched up against Xiao Tu before, and once Xiao Tu was marked, it was basically impossible for him to get into the paint.

The Celtics players spread out, and Bird didn't dribble past Worthy. Instead, he passed the ball to Parish in the low post on the right. Parish didn't force a shot either, passing to Dennis in the middle, who quickly passed the ball to Ainge on the left baseline.

Ainge received the ball and attempted a long two-pointer, which missed under Magic Johnson's interference, and Xiao Tu easily grabbed the defensive rebound. The Celtics players retreated quickly on defense, and the Lakers fell into a half-court offense.

Johnson dribbled the ball up the court, and Xiao Tu pulled out to set a screen for him beyond the three-point line. This move stumped all teams, and they couldn't break it by the end of the season.

McHale's lateral movement isn't fast, so even if he wanted to switch onto Johnson, he might not be able to keep up.

Johnson dribbled down the right flank, pulled up for a jump shot just inside the three-point line, and Dennis, going around the screen, couldn't jump in time. Johnson was on fire today, making his first shot. 2-0.

Dennis dribbled the ball across half-court under Scott's defense, then backed down and passed it to McHale, who was positioned on the right side beyond the three-point line. To keep Xiao Tu away from the paint, Celtics coach Jones preferred to have McHale forgo low-post offense.

Xiao Tu followed him out, and McHale lobbed the ball to Dennis, who had moved to the low right post.

Dennis, who is 193cm tall and weighs 84kg, faced off against Scott, who is 191cm tall and weighs 88kg. He backed down Scott and turned to shoot, but his fadeaway jumper missed the target due to interference.

McHale cut inside to try and grab an offensive rebound, but Xiao Tu easily held off him, securing the rebound with almost no jump, and passed it to Johnson to initiate a fast break.

Johnson advanced the ball up the court and passed it to Worthy, who shook off Bird without the ball. Worthy didn't immediately shoot from an open spot just inside the right three-point line, but instead took another step forward and made a close-range mid-range jumper.

Parish then came to help defend and interfere, and Worthy's shot was an airball, much to everyone's surprise. Scott committed a pushing foul while grabbing the offensive rebound, handing possession to someone else.

Xiao Tu had already made a fast break down the middle, but Worthy didn't see him. Passing isn't his strong suit, and his vision isn't wide enough. His mid-range shooting percentage is also inconsistent, and he lacks confidence in shooting long two-pointers.

It's clear that Worthy's ability is only enough to be the Lakers' fourth option.

(End of this chapter)