Basketball miracles

Chapter 213 [Conquering the NBA with just one Summer League match!]

After the Orlando Summer League ended, the Heat players rested for a few days before heading to Boston to regroup.

Xiao Tu continued to travel with the team, practicing tactical coordination with Wade and Haslem while clearing treasure chests. He knew these two would be key players for the Heat for a long time to come, and he truly considered them brothers.

Miami is an international metropolis, and Xiao Tu has no plans to switch teams after being drafted by the Heat. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the three of them will likely play together for a long time.

On July 14th, the Reebok Summer Pro League was held at the Clark Sports Center at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and was the third of four NBA Summer League groups. Ten teams, including the Celtics, Cavaliers, and Heat, participated, playing six games over seven days.

Xiao Tu really likes this schedule. He never has any problem with his stamina. He can eat some premium fruit and take a nap and he'll be full of energy again.

Moreover, the Heat are going to play the Cavaliers again.

LeBron James played two games in the Orlando league, with one win and one loss, and his stats were average. However, he remains Boston's most popular player, with the media completely ignoring his statistics and wins/losses, focusing solely on his incredible talent.

Xiao Tu read the news and felt it was a bit outrageous.

Major American media outlets are praising James's stinky feet, practically paying homage to Yang Yuying, highlighting his irrelevant answers.

Don't ask me how high the sun is, I'll tell you how true I am. Don't ask me how many stars there are, I'll tell you many, many...

Tickets for the Boston Summer League previously cost $8, but with LeBron James' arrival this summer, the price jumped to $15, almost doubling. James certainly has significant commercial value, and Cavaliers games consistently draw large crowds.

Some media outlets also reported on Xiao Tu, highlighting his exceptional performance in Orlando, where he averaged a triple-double. Some scouts only started paying attention to Xiao Tu at this point, but it was too late.

The Kings' general manager wants to bring Xiao Tu into the team and has indicated that he is willing to trade forward Hedo Turkoglu when inquiring about his price.

Heat general manager Randy Finder's refusal was very firm, his response being something like, "Hedo Turkoglu is nobody's business."

Fender listened to everything Pat Riley said. He was an assistant coach for the Lakers in the 80s and worked closely with Riley for a long time. He also served as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers from 1992 to 94, but was cut near the end of his second season.

Xiao Tu has become an untouchable asset for the Heat. Teams that needed a forward but didn't draft him are now filled with regret.

Of course, Xiao Tu's popularity is still a fraction of James's; he was just a dark horse in the Summer League.

In previous seasons, fans could gather outside the locker room waiting for players to sign autographs, and players from both teams could even sit together in the stands during the game. However, with LeBron James' arrival, the number of fans surged, and the organizers had to increase security, making the atmosphere less relaxed than before.

The stadium was packed to capacity for the opening game, with the crowd almost stretching to the adjacent ice hockey rink.

Among this year's draft class, LeBron James is like an urban legend. He's appeared on ESPN a few times and graced the cover of Sports Illustrated. Nationwide, only fans who have seen him in person truly grasp his level of skill.

The media went wild after the Cavaliers lost their season opener to the Celtics. LeBron James had a decent game, scoring 20 points and dishing out 6 assists; the Cavaliers lost, but he didn't.

"The Chosen One! LeBron James conquers the NBA with just one Summer League game!" Some media outlets used this headline after the game to describe James's eye-catching performance, as if he had completely dominated the game.

肖途在波士顿的首战表现更好，砍下33分10篮板11助攻2抢断2盖帽带队大胜26分，却只有迈阿密媒体会报道他。

Most reporters only focus on high draft picks and are too lazy to learn about lower draft picks. If they're too slow to get past the other reporters and fail to interview James, they'll get scolded by their bosses when they get back.

Then, James missed the Cavaliers' games against the Nets and the Mavericks, which speaks volumes about just how famous he is.

James flew to Los Angeles to attend the ESPY Awards. He received two nominations, including the Best Newcomer award that Tom Brady won last year.

Although James lost to Alfonso Soriano, who hit 39 home runs for the New York Yankees, his second-place finish in the Rookie of the Year award was already a miracle. This is because Alfonso proved himself in Major League Baseball, dominating a group of kids in high school.

It's worth mentioning that in the third game without James, the Cavaliers, led by Wagner and Darius Miles, defeated the Mavericks 87-83, winning their first victory in the Boston Summer League.

The following day, James returned, and the Cavaliers defeated the Hawks 77-69, securing James' first victory with the team. James had 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists, prompting another round of rave reviews from the media.

The crucial shot that secured the victory came from guard Hollis Price, but it went unnoticed after the game.

The coach's play was for Price to pass to James, but he took the ball up the court and went for it himself. After the game, he was smug, happy to have embarrassed the coach and James. Price had no idea he was on the team's blacklist and could never play in the NBA again. What kind of brain-dead idiot is that? An undrafted player who thinks he's a star, treating his teammates and coach as class enemies.

Cleveland media also specifically mentioned that after the game, James went to comfort a frustrated opponent. Some players are considered impolite to walk straight to the player tunnel without shaking hands with their teammates after the game, but James displayed maturity and composure.

The Cavaliers then played two more games, losing both, including a 18-point loss to the Heat.

The Cavaliers lost by a small margin this time because their starting power forward, Carlos Boozer, was also sent to play in the Boston Summer League, just to make up the numbers.

Boozer is a powerful scorer and can dominate Haslem in one-on-one situations.

肖途砍下33分12篮板7助攻2抢断，多次强打詹姆斯后仰跳投得分。詹姆斯11分7篮板6助攻，命中率不值一提，罚球都只有6中3，数据被完爆。

Based on this data comparison, Xiao Tu suspects that James' ankle is about to be injured again before the game.

Xiao Tu still couldn't shake hands with James after the game. As soon as the whistle blew, he dashed into the player tunnel.

Xiao Tu felt that the league might promote them as lifelong rivals in the future, like 23 vs. 24. But after playing two games against James, he hadn't exchanged a single word, not even a formal greeting.

James didn't like Xiao Tu and only greeted Wade, probably because Xiao Tu was guarding him too aggressively.

Xiao Tu was speechless. He was just playing normal defense and hadn't committed any malicious fouls.

Moreover, James' stats against other teams were similar to those against the Heat, with only one game in which he scored 20 points.

There are also statistics on the Summer League. James played 4 games in the Boston Summer League, averaging 15.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists.

As long as the opponent uses zone defense and the big men stay close to the paint, James struggles offensively. His shot attempts and scoring are roughly equal; that's about his level.

Fans who watched the game live all felt that Xiao Tu was far superior to James. They found the news reports very strange and began to question the credibility of the media.

Of course it's unbelievable; the United States has never had press freedom.

Calling a deer a horse, distorting the truth, taking things out of context, and deceiving the public are all common tactics used by American media. They say everything, except the truth.

Xiao Tu played all six games for the Heat, achieving a perfect record, and was named the Boston Summer League MVP.

The good news is that this small prize also brought Xiao Tu a brass treasure chest—it was a windfall. He had no idea that the Boston tournament was so well-organized before the competition.

肖途场均能砍下29.5分9.3篮板10.5助攻1.7抢断1盖帽，投篮命中率高达55.7%，三分命中率44.3%，罚球命中率90%。

He ranks first on the Heat in four statistical categories, excelling on both offense and defense. If Xiao Tu hadn't been substituted by the coach to rest due to a large lead, he could have consistently achieved a 30+ point triple-double.

When Xiao Tu received the award, a male reporter from Boston interviewed him on site and asked him to share his thoughts.

Xiao Tu was very high-profile: "I don't have any special feelings. The opponents in the Summer League weren't very strong, so I could play easily. I hope I can put up similar numbers in the regular season, then I'll be a star."

The reporter asked, "How would you rate this year's number one draft pick, LeBron James? The Heat and Cavaliers played two games, and you helped your team win both."

Xiao Tu pretended to be stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Didn't I just give my evaluation?"

The reporter was completely stunned.

Big news! And the cameraman is filming right now.

So when you said "the opponent isn't very good, I can beat them easily," you were referring to the chosen one, LeBron James!
Xiao Tu wouldn't give James any face, and he hadn't taken any money from anyone.

He also needs exposure; once this news is released, won't the traffic come?
(End of this chapter)