Basketball miracles

Chapter 212 [The difference in skill is obvious; a promising future is assured]

In the morning, the Heat players took the team bus to the arena for practice. Haslem, having read the newspaper, became a huge fan of Xiao Tu. "You're amazing! The local news didn't even mention you and Wade. How did you guess that?"

"It's basic media practice; it's not important."

"You put up a triple-double, and the media isn't even mentioning it. Aren't you angry?" Haslem asked.

"I don't care, it's just a summer league. You can only make a name for yourself quickly by playing well in the regular season. Right, D.Wade (nickname)?" Xiao Tu tapped the seat in front of him.

There's a story about Dwyane Wade's name. The correct spelling of "Dwayne" is D-way-ne, and Wade's father, Dwayne Sr., spelled his name correctly. However, when Wade's grandmother registered his birth, she spelled it as D-wya-ne, which was impossible to pronounce correctly and couldn't be corrected.

Wade was a little ashamed of this and preferred to be called by adding a "D" before his surname.

Wade, sitting in the front row, laughed and said, "Yeah, the regular season is when we prove ourselves."

Xiao Tu still needs to boost his stats. It doesn't matter if there's no news; he needs to increase his standing in the coach's eyes.

Summer League has low viewership, allowing many role players to put up impressive stats. This doesn't mean they'll be heavily used by coaches during the regular season; many will remain on the fringes.

For example, Brooklyn Nets' white power forward Scalabrine averaged 14 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4 assists per game in the Summer League. He later had a rather comical nickname in the NBA: "The Human Victory Cigar," and spent most of his career as a fringe player.

In the 2002 Summer League, Chinese player Wang Zhizhi played for the Warriors, scoring 14 points and grabbing 6 rebounds in 6 games.

If Xiao Tu wants to become the Heat's core player in the new season, he must put up outstanding numbers in the Summer League to prove himself.

Wade was much more relaxed than Xiao Tu, and didn't even bother to pad his stats. The coach asked him to assist Xiao Tu and reduce his jump shot attempts in half-court sets, and he had no objections.

According to Coach Pat Riley, the difference in skill between the two was immediately apparent in one game. Wade didn't compete for the center position at all; he was willing to follow the coach's instructions, and even Xiao Tu's instructions.

They had a good relationship and chatted the whole time off the court. Riley could tell at a glance who was in charge.

Xiao Tu was the most outstanding performer in training, combining drives, passes, and shots, with high efficiency in one-on-one situations and good passing awareness.

Both Riley and Stan Van Gundy have confirmed that Xiao Tu is stronger than Wade. He can even grab a lot of rebounds, has a solid lower body, and his positioning is impeccable.

Xiao Tu is very strong and can play power forward. He has excellent dribbling skills and can create mismatches against anyone. He can also organize the offense.

Wade is also a player who can contribute immediately, but he has a clear weakness: his shooting is terrible. Once the opponent closes the paint and leaves Wade open for jump shots, his scoring efficiency drops significantly and he can't adjust.

Riley doesn't like players without a basket. "Monster" Mashburn wasn't used much when he played for the Heat; he was just a role player.

Wade only plays comfortably when Xiao Tu is on the court. Xiao Tu likes to initiate fast breaks and receive passes, allowing Wade to utilize his strengths with his sharp breakthroughs.

Neither of them needed Riley's guidance; they played like the Lakers of the 80s Showtime era.

Xiao Tu is imitating Magic Johnson's playing style. Johnson wasn't particularly fast, but he was the tallest and heaviest guard. For big men pushing the fast break, the key is passing awareness and technique; you just need to be able to get past your primary defender.

Xiao Tu played two more games, scoring triple-doubles in each, making him Orlando's most outstanding all-around player.

He's very aggressive in grabbing rebounds in the backcourt and then immediately launches a fast break. When his teammates get a rebound, he also runs to receive it, ensuring a quick transition between offense and defense.

Xiao Tu is really into racking up stats, and he plans to play like that throughout the regular season. Getting a triple-double increases his treasure chest level, and he's earned bronze treasure chests from all three Summer League games.

In the 90s, he only won with a black iron box, but in 2003, he was playing in the NBA, and his desire to win was even stronger.

The next day, Riley had lunch alone with Xiao Tu and asked, "Seb, what are your thoughts on our new season? Do you have any specific goals?"

Without hesitation, Xiao Tu replied, "Yes, I want to lead the team to win the championship."

Riley paused for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha, that's ambitious. But do you really think it's possible that the Heat finished last last season?"

"I think the chances of winning the championship are slim, but there's definitely a chance. Alonzo Mourning's contract just expired, freeing up $2000 million in salary cap space. I think the management already has targets for acquisitions, right? Next season, the Heat will have at least one more player with a multi-million dollar salary. Add to that me, Wade, and Haslem—three players who can contribute immediately—and the core of last season's roster, and the Heat's roster depth isn't bad." Xiao Tu continued, "Most importantly, you're the Heat's head coach. I think you're the best coach in the NBA. Let's work together next season, and you can win another Coach of the Year award to prove that last season's loss was just an accident."

"..." Riley didn't know what to say.

He wanted to talk to Xiao Tu, tell him that the Heat had a bright future in the new season, and encourage him to train hard in the summer so that he could become the core player as soon as the season started.

He realized he had underestimated Xiao Tu; this young man had a very clear understanding of the situation, even knowing about the Heat's salary cap. On the contrary, Xiao Tu was encouraging him, leaving him both amused and exasperated.

Xiao Tu also knew that the Heat were trying to poach Odom, but he couldn't say that. He didn't plan to take on the role of general manager, was quite satisfied with the Heat's acquisitions, and was just waiting for his new teammates to arrive.

Odom is well-suited to a run-and-gun offense, possessing exceptional mobility. His passing is also outstanding, ensuring the Heat's ball movement will be excellent next season. Xiao Tu believes that as long as Odom doesn't make any rash decisions, he'll be a great teammate.

Odom wouldn't compete with Xiao Tu for leadership, as there's no conflict of interest. A 24-year-old who just transferred from the struggling Clippers and has never played in the playoffs wouldn't be respected as a leader.

When the two discussed tactics, Xiao Tu boldly proposed a core-centric playstyle combined with a fast-paced, high-scoring approach.

"Why? Right now, all the teams are playing positional warfare," Riley asked.

"Because fast breaks attract fans, all teams play half-court offense, and we score more points on fast breaks, which can attract a lot of fans' attention in the regular season. The president will also be more willing to promote me and Wade. As long as I am promoted by the league, the Heat will not only have an advantage in the playoffs, but at least they will not suffer from the officiating, which is the only way to have a chance to win the championship."

From 1995 to 2005, all NBA teams adopted a half-court offense to reduce turnovers and played extremely aggressive defense. It wasn't until Nash joined the Suns and led the team to a run-and-gun style that NBA games became truly exciting.

Xiao Tu hopes the Heat's games will become Showtime, as this would benefit him and allow him to rack up super stats.

Xiao Tu believes this is a great time to compete for the championship; the hype is too great, and his popularity will skyrocket.

The Lakers are being dubbed the "F4" for the new season, with their star players boasting immense fame. However, the Lakers' actual strength is not great, their roster has obvious flaws, and their star players, the "OK combination," are embroiled in conflict.

The truly difficult team to beat is the Detroit Pistons in the East, who appear to be "ordinary" teams but actually have an All-Star starting lineup.

The Pistons have several talented players off the bench, such as Mehmet Okur and Corliss Williams. Even Darko Milicic, the second overall pick in 2003, was relegated to a fringe role with the Pistons.

Xiao Tu, who is playing in the Summer League, has already started thinking about his playoff opponents.

He believes that even if they don't win the championship in the new season, as long as the team plays well, the Heat probably won't package multiple players for a sign-and-trade deal for Shaquille O'Neal.

O'Neal is a big name, but Xiao Tu doesn't want to be teammates with him at all, as it would affect his performance.

Putting aside the fact that O'Neal is already a veteran in his decline, even in his prime he could only drive to the basket and needed teammates to lob the ball to him in the low post. With someone like that dominating the ball, Xiao Tu's stats wouldn't be very good, and he wouldn't be able to play fast breaks.

Riley said, "Seb, I'm curious, why were your stats and record not good when you were at Harvard?"

"Because I wasn't this strong at the beginning. When I first entered Harvard, I wasn't a starter. I had no skills or passing ability, and I couldn't even score against unknown players. My skills and stats improved gradually, but I wasn't good at assisting my teammates either. Their level was really hard to describe."

Riley swallowed hard. "You mean, you only took a year to go from a roughneck to this level?"

"Yes, it's been less than a year. I learn things very quickly, and I'm sure I'll continue to improve in the future." Xiao Tu often praises himself, believing that some things can't wait for others to discover.

Riley laughed, "You've already proven yourself; you don't need to continue playing in the Summer League. Do you still want to play in the Boston Summer League?"

"I want to play. Playing games is the best way to practice. Besides, the Heat don't play well without me. I'll practice with Wade and Haslem during the holidays, and I'll be even stronger when the new season starts."

"Okay, let's compete for the championship together. Your idea is very good. Young people should have goals and ambitions."

Xiao Tu breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he had once again created a butterfly effect.

Riley has no intention of stepping down as general manager, and he believes the Heat have a bright future. Stan Van Gundy will have to wait a while if he wants to become head coach…

(End of this chapter)