Basketball miracles

Chapter 18 [Victory is Inevitable]

In the afternoon, Xiao Tu also practiced shooting with the help of trainer Eddie. He used up his 5-hour intermediate shooting training aura in one day and shot over a thousand times.

He doesn't practice dribbling, post-up moves, or other similar techniques at all, so he won't need them for the time being.

He's currently limiting his shot attempts to just over ten per game, and he must use efficient scoring methods. If his shooting percentage drops, his stats will decline, putting him at a disadvantage in the Rookie of the Year race against Jordan.

Xiao Tu ate some grapes when he got home, and after a good night's sleep, he felt his body had returned to its best condition.

The Lakers' next game is another highly anticipated matchup, returning home to face the Milwaukee Bucks. The matchup between Shawn Tu and African-American power forward Terry Cummings is a major point of interest.

身高206CM，体重100公斤的卡明斯是1982年的榜眼秀，在快船的首个赛季就砍下了23.7分10.6篮板2.5助攻的明星数据。

He was named Rookie of the Year thanks to his performance far surpassing that of number one draft pick James Worthy, reaching his peak right from the start.

Since joining the Bucks this season, Cummings has continued to impress, immediately becoming the team's core center. This is the strongest power forward Xiao Tu has faced since the start of the season—a true test!

After the Lakers' daily practice, Pat Riley asked Xiao Tu on the sidelines, "Are you confident facing a star player tomorrow?"

“I will definitely win. The Lakers used their number one pick to select James (Worthy) instead of him, which shows that his potential is limited. His stats in the first two seasons seem impressive, but he actually only took close to 20 shots per game and his scoring efficiency was not high. He is underweight and is definitely not as tough as me. He can't guard me.”

Riley nodded. "You're right, try to make the most of your physical advantages tomorrow."

Riley particularly enjoys talking to intelligent people, so he doesn't need to teach Xiao Tu any fighting techniques or encourage him.

He asked Worthy the same question, and Worthy certainly wouldn't have been able to say anything, at most replying, "I'll follow the coach's instructions." That's the difference; the taciturn Worthy seemed to lack personal awareness and wasn't suited to be the team's core player.

Then look at Xiao Tu; with his talent and willingness to showcase himself, it's hard for him not to succeed. Riley doesn't even treat him like a rookie anymore; he'll test him from time to time.

Players need to use their brains more to play better.

The following day, the Lakers faced the Bucks, and the Lakers' players made quite a spectacle of their entrance.

Xiao Tu only played three games before the management scheduled him to play the third-to-last game. This symbolized a change in his status within the team, implicitly making him the third-in-command.

What he lacks is seniority; his popularity is already third on the Lakers, completely outshining Worthy, who lacks presence.

His rise to fame may not be unprecedented, but it is definitely among the fastest in NBA history.

As the players were warming up, Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson, sitting in the front row, loudly called out Xiao Tu's name and waved to him. Xiao Tu didn't ignore him and ran straight to the sidelines to chat with Nicholson.

"Xiao, I like you. Play well and dunk more."

"You can call me Seb. I also love your movies. I've watched 'The Shining' and 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' many times..."

The cameraman gave the two close-up shots, and the interaction between the sports star and the entertainment star was quite amusing.

You're saying players should focus on warming up? Fans don't like rigid players; when it's time to have fun, you have to play. Xiao Tu interacts with fans; he won't miss an opportunity to put on a show.

In a parallel universe, Nicholson is the Lakers' most ardent die-hard fan, attending home games for over 50 consecutive years since 1970, rain or shine.

He consistently cheers for a particular team, and as a public figure, he even got fined for trash-talking Lakers and opposing stars. During last season's Finals, he led the charge in verbally abusing the Celtics' stars from the sidelines.

Even if this guy isn't a movie star, Xiao Tu wouldn't ignore him.

Xiao Tu chatted for a few minutes before returning to the court to warm up and start performing dunks. The fans liked it, so he was going to put on a show.

His folding back dunk and windmill dunk were moves worthy of the previous Slam Dunk Contest finals, drawing cheers and applause from Lakers fans. Even before the game started, the Lakers' morale had already overwhelmed the Bucks.

Cummings felt the pressure watching Xiao Tu perform his "high-difficulty" dunk; his opponent's physical attributes were clearly far superior. Actually, these were just ordinary dunks for Xiao Tu, moves he wouldn't use in a dunk contest; he was saving his special moves.

The Bucks' coach is Don Nelson, who orchestrates a high-scoring offensive game with a combination of inside and outside play that is very effective.

After the game started, the Lakers maintained a lead, but the point difference was not large.

In a parallel universe, Don Nelson would probably be the most tragic head coach in NBA history.

Don Nelson coached in the NBA for 31 years, developing numerous star players and holding the record for most regular season wins with 1335. He was named Coach of the Year three times. Despite such an illustrious coaching career, he never won an NBA championship, nor even reached the NBA Finals, which is quite remarkable.

He was the scientist among coaches. He was the one who pioneered the run-and-gun style of play that later became popular in the league. In addition, the "Hack-a-Shaq" tactic was also first used by Don Nelson in the NBA.

He didn't win a championship; what he lacked was luck and superstars. All the players he coached had flaws, and he never coached any of the top 20 players in history. His most successful disciples were two international players, Nowitzki and Nash.

In the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, Magic Johnson delivered a series of exquisite passes, assisting Xiao Tu and Worthy to score, and also scored with a pull-up jumper from the right side, finally extending the lead to double digits and securing the victory.

The Lakers won this game with some difficulty, 127-115, securing their fourth consecutive victory.

Xiao Tu's continued outstanding performance, gaining the upper hand in his matchup against Cummings, once again proved his strength.

他出战42分钟，13投8中，罚球8中7，砍下23分17篮板4助攻2抢断2盖帽。

His scoring and assists both set new career highs, including three assists from offensive rebounds followed by passes to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and one assist from a fast break to James Worthy.

He delivered four powerful dunks throughout the game, making him the most entertaining player for both teams. His signature move, the "full-throttle dunk," has become incredibly fluid and powerful.

Cummings's light weight exposed his weakness, and he struggled against Xiao Tu on both ends of the court. Although he scored 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists, he took 19 shots with a very low shooting percentage.

He's a well-rounded power forward, tall and slender, and Xiao Tu always finds himself tightly marked and unable to shake him off in one-on-one situations. However, against other teams, Cummings doesn't seem weak in terms of physical strength, allowing him to grab a lot of rebounds.

In the 80s, most NBA teams' interior players were tall and thin, not as strong as Lakers point guard Magic Johnson. Kurt Rambis was able to start because he was considered a tough guy in the NBA and had decent physical strength.

Xiao Tu's weight of 108 kilograms is an advantage in this era; there aren't many players bigger than him.

Today's star is Magic Johnson, who scored 25 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 16 assists, leading the team's offense.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also contributed 20 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.

It's a bit unacceptable for a 218cm tall player to only grab two rebounds in 35 minutes. Since Xiao Tu joined the team, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has started to slack off on the defensive end.

After the match, reporters all wanted to interview Xiao Tu, and he answered all their questions calmly and confidently.

"It's not difficult for me to put up impressive stats. I just need to run alongside Irwin, and when I get into open space, I don't even see how he passes the ball, and it's already in my hands. All I have to do is not to miss the shot, which I practice all day and am very confident about."

"The opponent's interior defense focused on Kareem, so I had a pretty easy time. I'm still learning, both offensively and defensively."

"I don't really know if I'm good at rebounding, I just feel like I'm very lucky. The rebounds always bounced towards me, and since I'm good at jumping, I just grabbed them without thinking."

"My high number of rebounds is also related to the overall defense. When the opponent's shooting percentage is low, I can grab a lot of rebounds..." Some of Xiao Tu's words seem modest, but they are actually Versailles.

Experts believe his rebounding prowess stems not only from his jumping ability, but also from his exceptional aggressiveness and strength. Even the greatest jumping ability is useless if he lacks physical strength and is unable to jump due to being pushed by opponents.

Cummings was repeatedly forced to stay upright by Xiao Tu, becoming a negative example. Those who watched the match generally believed that Xiao Tu had more star potential and was currently stronger than Cummings.

(End of this chapter)