Basketball miracles

Chapter 162 [New Technology, Mitsui Hisashi]

Xiao Tu unveiled four new techniques: behind-the-back dribbling breakthrough, long stride spin breakthrough, crossover breakthrough, and floater.

Behind-the-back dribbling is relatively simple; it mainly relies on changes in dribbling rhythm to get past opponents.

This move, when executed well, can be incredibly powerful; Jamal Crawford is a master of the behind-the-back dribble and crossover. Known as "Crawford 6" for his exceptional driving ability, he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award three times.

Crawford can even dribble behind his back and then make a layup with a step-back move, showcasing his impressive skills.

The crossover step, also known as the opposite-side step, is a common and practical technique for breaking through defenses. Allen Iverson was very good at this technique, which was called "butterfly weaving through flowers." There's a saying in the NBA: "Everyone in the world knows Iverson is going to break through from the right, except for the guy guarding him."

Crossovers and behind-the-back dribbles can be combined with step-back jump shots; Xiao Tu plans to practice a few smooth combos. This is the main purpose of his new account: to master his breakthrough and passing skills before competing in the NBA in 2003.

His goal in 2003 was never to compete with LeBron James for Rookie of the Year, but to compete with Garnett for the regular season MVP and lead the Heat to a championship as the core of the team in his rookie season.

In the 2003-04 season, if the Heat made it to the Finals, their opponent would be the Lakers with their "F4" lineup, creating an explosive buzz.

A long stride and turn to break through is not suitable for guards; it is easier for physically strong players to turn around.

Paul Pierce of the Celtics excels at this technique. He's not particularly fast, has average jumping ability, and is 201cm tall. Aside from strength, he has no other physical advantages, yet he still became a super scorer through skill.

Xiao Tu felt that the two forwards could use this move as their main offensive method, while the point guard could use it only occasionally.

The floater is a typical point guard technique, which involves aiming at the basket with a low or high hand while moving and then throwing the ball upwards with a relatively high arc.

If a guard can't shoot a floater, he won't be able to score in the paint. This is a shooting technique used by smaller players when facing larger players. They use their speed to make the opponent move as well, and release the shot quickly so the opponent doesn't have time to jump and block.

Because it requires a high level of skill and is developed through long-term training, the floater is a more difficult technique than a stationary shot. Mastering the floater requires mastering the timing of movement and release.

Xiao Tu thought a lot about it. He could practice floaters with all three bodies, and even modify floaters into "passes." This is something only someone with good passing awareness can do, and he could play alley-oops with teammates who have good physical abilities.

The NBA is never short of alley-oop specialists, and the Miami Heat have three players who excel at alley-oops: Wade, Odom, and Caron Butler.

The Silver Treasure Chest also contains two types of fruit and two types of ingredients.

Premium jackfruit is rich in nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin B, calcium, and iron, and is good for beauty, skin health, and nutritional supplementation.

Premium yacon is rich in polyphenols and flavonoids, which have various effects such as anti-oxidation, anti-inflammation, and anti-aging. It can enhance immunity and prevent various diseases.

Xiao Tu had heard of the first type but had never tried it. The price wasn't very high, but he wasn't interested.

He had never even heard of the second one, but he didn't immediately take it out to try. He wasn't injured, nor did he need to prevent aging; it would be a waste to take it out and eat it for fun.

The premium white sturgeon caviar is advertised to have benefits including skin care, longevity, and anti-cancer properties.

Xiao Tu had heard of caviar because Andy Lau ate it during a scene in the movie "Protégé" and refused to have it weighed.

Black caviar is known as "black gold on the tip of the tongue," and his reward was of the highest quality, certainly better than anything in real life. He couldn't figure out how much it was worth, nor did he bother to look it up; he decided to keep it for himself and his loved ones.

The premium bluefin tuna—Xiao Tu didn't know its exact size and dared not bring it out. Many of these tuna are bigger than a person; what kind of situation is it if a huge fish suddenly appears in your room?

The introduction claims that eating this type of fish is good for health, can improve eyesight, and is beneficial for brain nerve development.

Xiao Tu could only keep it for himself. He had never eaten such high-class food in his previous life, and he didn't know how to cook it to make it taste good, so he could only save it for now.

The reward of a silver treasure chest left Xiao Tu both amused and exasperated.

He actually learned Japanese through initiation and can speak fluent standard Japanese. He is now fluent in three languages, which sounds impressive, even though he doesn't use Japanese much in daily life.

With so many countries in the world suitable for tourism, what kind of crazy person would choose to travel to Japan? The cost of living in Japan is terrifyingly high, and the tourism experience is terrible, which completely overturns people's impression of this country.

Street vendors are persistent harassers; thieves often target unsuspecting tourists; and some homeless people are known for harassing passersby.

Are Japanese people the most polite in the world? Only a fool would believe that.

But now Xiao Tu actually needed to use Japanese, since he was already in Japan. Xiao Tu immediately turned on the TV, found a drama to watch, and could understand it even without subtitles. Moreover, he could even repeat the lines fluently.

At noon, the Japanese translator, Kondo Yasushi, arrived at the hotel. Speaking broken English, he drove Xiao Tu to find Robert Shaw.

Today, Xiao Tu wasn't just having a meal; he was also meeting a "playmate" who spoke fluent English. Robert casually mentioned it, and immediately many Japanese people offered to have their "son" accompany them, their attitudes as humble as possible.

The Japanese have a deeply ingrained class consciousness, with rank and hierarchy in every profession. Since the dawn of written records, this class consciousness has gradually become a guiding principle for Japanese life. During the same period, Japan extensively adopted Chinese culture, and through the introduction of the feudal system, it became a standard Ritsuryo-style feudal state.

Japan remains feudal; even when the Emperor is ill, he only uses his own blood reserves, rejecting any foreign blood. This bloodline theory is utterly perverse; the Imperial Family is essentially a group of incestuous, monstrous individuals, and their distorted appearance is simply abnormal.

The car drove to a high-end Western restaurant; they were having steak for lunch.

When Xiao Tu met his adoptive father, Robert Shaw, in real life for the first time, he wasn't flustered at all. He raised his hand and greeted him with a smile. "Hi, Bob (Robert's nickname)."

"Hey, you look great today. Something about you seems different to me," Robert asked curiously.

"I slept well, and I'm in a good mood," Xiao Tu said with a smile.

He knew it must be because of his "Titanic Body"—how could his complexion not be good if his charm was enhanced? He looked in the mirror in the hotel and could see that he looked a little different from when he had just woken up.

Xiao Tu and Robert sat down side by side, opposite them sat two Japanese men, one old and one young.

The older one clearly looks like an office worker, wearing a suit and tie with a formulaic smile. The other one is probably a high school student, with a middle parting, long hair flowing down his shoulders, dressed casually with a cocky demeanor.

Xiao Tu felt that this person looked a lot like Yosuke Eguchi, the second male lead in "Tokyo Love Story." He was a bit more delicate-looking and would be considered handsome in Japan.

Robert introduced him in English: "This is Keisuke Mitsui from the Mitsui Group. I heard his son likes to play basketball, so he can play with you."

Keisuke Mitsui gave his son a look, and the long-haired man reluctantly greeted Xiao Tu in English and introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Hisashi Mitsui."

Xiao Tu paused for a moment, then immediately switched to Japanese. "You said your name is Mitsui Hisashi? Which high school do you attend in Tokyo?"

Xiao Tu speaks fluent Japanese, and Mitsui Keisuke immediately praised him, saying, "Xiao-kun, your son speaks Japanese very well; it seems he doesn't need a translator."

Xiao Tu casually explained, "I practiced Japanese before coming here, it's not hard to learn."

Keisuke Mitsui, who speaks better English, explained, “My son didn’t go to high school in Tokyo. He insisted on going to Shohoku High School in Kanagawa Prefecture because he idolizes a coach. But he’s on vacation and staying here.”

"..." Xiao Tu glanced at Mitsui Hisashi a few more times. Sure enough, he was a character from "Slam Dunk".

What's going on? Not only can I travel through time, but I can also enter anime works? Only in a live-action version.

Since I'm here, I might as well make the best of it. Compared to me, who can travel through time, comic book characters are nothing special.

The four of them chatted while eating.

Keisuke Mitsui was very gentle, but he was quite strict with Hisashi Mitsui, repeatedly instructing him to take good care of "Shao-kun".

Whenever he mentioned basketball, Mitsui Hisashi would involuntarily tremble and lose his appetite. Xiao Tu guessed that he was trying his best to control himself; if he said something inappropriate or made a scene, he would be severely punished by his father when he got home.

During their conversation, Xiao Tu learned that Mitsui Hisashi had an older brother who was already working and an older sister who was in college.

He didn't know the situation in the manga, but Mitsui Hisashi might live in Kanagawa Prefecture. He has a group of delinquent friends, and they fight all the time, but his family doesn't care because he's a rich kid with no inheritance rights, and he can just coast along?
Regardless, Xiao Tu agreed to let Mitsui Hisashi play with him, only deliberately asking, "What happened to your front teeth?"

Keisuke Mitsui explained with a smile, "He fell off his bicycle. The kid is a bit careless. I'll have him get his teeth fixed."

Xiao Tu smiled, not believing it at all.

Could this uncle have dragged Mitsui Hisashi out of the hospital just to curry favor with Bob?
Mitsui Hisashi is missing two front teeth, proving that he led a group to beat up Miyagi Ryota, and he himself got quite a beating. Mitsui Hisashi is about to enter his third year, which means this year is a major plot point in the manga, with Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede about to enroll...

Xiao Tu was in a great mood. He had initially thought that things were boring in Japan, but now things had become interesting.

(End of this chapter)