Basketball miracles

Chapter 214 [The Hunt for Gorillas Begins with the Summer League]

Xiao Tu genuinely felt that the level of Summer League players was too low, including LeBron James. Adding to the three games in Orlando, no team posed a threat to the Heat, and Xiao Tu easily led his team to a nine-game winning streak.

That's not the point. The point is that Xiao Tu's data is phenomenal, yet major media outlets still don't take him seriously.

Even the highly respected monk Foyin of the Baolong clan had to shake his wig and shout, "Outrageous! Outrageous! Outrageous..."

Although Xiao Tu has a good temper, he cannot tolerate being ignored by the media for a long time, which has already affected his future plans.

I don't expect my popularity to reach the level of LeBron James, but you guys have to let me show my face in front of the fans, right?

I'm being treated the same as that decent-performing nobody from the Celtics, but I don't even get as much exposure as Wade. Isn't that going too far?

For the sake of harmony in the Heat's locker room in the new season, Xiao Tu believes it is necessary to let Eddie Jones and Brian Grant get to know him in the summer.

As long as the veterans acknowledge their inferiority, they won't put on airs or give Xiao Tu a hard time once training camp starts in the new season. If that happens, it would seem too domineering for Xiao Tu to simply ask Riley to trade them away.

If a reporter were to interview Xiao Tu, he would share his thoughts, greet the fans, and look forward to the future. But he can't wait any longer; he can't possibly have such a stellar performance in the Summer League without generating any decent news, can he?
I know all the normal hype tactics, but the media won't give me that opportunity.

Since that's the case, then I don't need to pretend to be a gentleman anymore.

I'm going to provoke the person with the most online traffic, let's see who can stop me.

I refuse to believe that all media outlets would ignore major news stories and focus solely on praising the "Little Emperor."

If my life in this world were a novel, it should be called "Starting with the Summer League: Hunting Gorillas".

Xiao Tu wasn't originally a LeBron hater; he was just a basketball enthusiast who loved watching the NBA and surfing the internet. However, because he found LeBron fans so annoying, he gradually developed a dislike for James and turned into a LeBron hater.

You can't even casually comment on LeBron James as a person; you have to treat him like a eunuch treats the emperor, only saying nice things. Even a normal eunuch gets paid by the emperor, but sucking up to LeBron James gets you nothing.

If you say anything negative about LeBron James on the Chinese website Zhanpu, no matter how reasonable or well-founded your claims are, sorry, your post will be deleted and you will be permanently banned.

LeBron James was getting thoroughly beaten, and the comments on his fan forum were full of complaints about the coach, his teammates, and everything in between. The most outrageous thing was that someone even posted a message blaming Nike, saying that the shoes Nike designed for James were terrible, causing him to frequently injure his ankles.

You can tell people you play like Kobe, Curry, Durant, Giannis, etc., and that's fine. But if you tell someone you play like LeBron James, you'll get banned for insulting them.

What's even more ridiculous is that if you say LeBron James has a flashy playing style and his playing form is beautiful, it's still considered "inciting conflict" and you'll get banned.

Xiao Tu being named the Boston Summer League MVP is a minor matter; what truly made him the focus of attention was his reflections, which brought him into the spotlight of all media outlets.

That evening, President David Stern saw Xiao Tu's detailed information and became very interested in him.

He didn't mind Xiao Tu's dismissive remarks about James, and even instructed people to keep a close eye on Xiao Tu's situation and report back promptly.

Xiao Tu has an excellent image and temperament, and if his ball skills are outstanding, Stern is willing to promote him.

White NBA stars are extremely rare, especially domestic ones. Stern previously only had the ability to promote John Stockton. This year, Stockton announced his retirement, leaving only Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki of the Mavericks as truly capable white stars in the league.

Xiao Tu's performance is so outstanding, how could Stern possibly overlook him? He looks more promising than Keith Van Horn, the second overall pick in 97.

Stern never targeted Black people, but he wanted to promote a few competitive white stars.

The league once touted Van Horn, a soft power forward who averaged 7.1 free throw attempts per game in the 98-99 season. Unfortunately, Van Horn's abilities were limited, and his shooting was inaccurate. At his peak, he averaged 21.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, with a field goal percentage of 42.8%.

Stern noticed that Xiao Tu didn't attempt many free throws in the Summer League, relying instead on skill and accurate shooting. He believed that if Xiao Tu had more free throws, his stats would be even better.

Stern never disliked arrogant stars; as long as a player has the ability, they have the right to be arrogant. Moreover, a player who dares to speak his mind is easier to promote than a quiet one, as he generates more buzz and news.

Xiao Tu doesn't need to meet with Stern; he understands Stern's thoughts and they've always had a tacit understanding.

But Van Stern had better options; he wouldn't have promoted the dashing Kobe Bryant of Eagle County or LeBron James, who missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Wade had so many free throws in the 2006 Finals precisely because he was being hyped up.

Wade is too fragile; his frequent injuries make him unable to handle this massive influx of traffic.

Xiao Tu isn't afraid of being praised to the point of being criticized, nor is he afraid of controversy; he can handle anything. Xiao Tu was already quite arrogant in the 80s, so it's impossible for him to have become more low-key by 2003. He had long understood the league's tactics, so even if LeBron James was unhappy, it didn't matter.

If you're unhappy, then come and beat me. If you keep losing, you deserve to be stomped on the head by me.

Xiao Tu didn't say anything like "My teammates are stronger, and the game is a team sport." Different eras have different ways of saying things.

Xiao Tu said that in the 80s because there were two superstars on the team, and the other two starters were more experienced than him. He was the youngest on the Lakers, and if he didn't praise his teammates often, it would cause them to resent him.

Xiao Tu is still a rookie like Wade, so it's okay if he doesn't mention Wade in occasional interviews. If he wants to be the leader of the Heat and play a core-centric style, he needs to establish himself as a superstar with exceptional individual abilities.

He didn't think doing this was unfair to Wade, and Wade wouldn't mind either.

In a parallel universe, James joined the Heat and won a championship in 13, which was still considered an "overlooked historically great single-star championship."

Xiao Tu isn't afraid of the Heat's weak roster; a slight disadvantage is actually a good thing. In the end, fans will only think that he is stronger and is carrying the team forward.

The following day, major media outlets reported that Xiao Tu had won the MVP award, finally overshadowing LeBron James for once. He wouldn't have garnered so much attention if he hadn't made a pointed remark.

Miami media outlets cited Xiao Tu's stats and the Boston Summer League All-Star team in their reports.

Yes, this year's Boston Summer League also includes an All-NBA Team selection.

Because of LeBron James's joining, the event became particularly formal. The somewhat awkward thing is that James wasn't selected for the All-NBA team, despite the hype surrounding him, his stats were just average.

All-NBA First Team: Dwyane Wade, Shawn Dwyane, Devin Brown, Salmons, Brandon Hunter.

All-NBA Second Team: TJ Ford, Juan Dixon, Kendrick Brown, Carlos Boozer, Scalabrine.

Even more embarrassingly, Miami cited Xiao Tu's and James's statistics for comparison, arguing that Xiao Tu had reason to disregard the number one draft pick, even though he was the 33rd pick in the second round.

James' stats look comprehensive at first glance, but they're actually about the same as "Human Victory Cigar." Scalabrine played two more games and had a much higher shooting percentage.

Comparing people is a recipe for disaster; comparing goods is a recipe for disaster.

Many media outlets are at a loss for how to praise LeBron James. Should they say, "His impact cannot be reflected in the statistics"? But isn't that praising a blue-collar worker?

Moreover, the Cavaliers have a record of 2 wins and 4 losses, and James didn't even play in the only easy win they had.

What exactly is the role of this guy? Why are all the games he plays a hard-fought victory and a complete defeat?
The fact that the All-NBA team included several fringe players from the regular season is direct evidence of the low level of the Boston Summer League. Fringe players can perform exceptionally well; for example, 76ers shooting guard Salmons, who averaged 2.1 points per game last season, averaged 19.6 points per game in the Summer League.

Many fans feel that James is overrated, and his team can't defend him.

For a player to be free of controversy, they must live up to their reputation.

There are plenty of players in the Summer League who don't take James seriously, but reporters just don't interview them.

Major media outlets have started praising Xiao Tu, and his stats seem to be modeled after Magic Johnson. Fans who don't believe it can check their stats; Xiao Tu completely outclasses LeBron James.

Many news reports specifically mentioned that Xiao Tu has a very good image and is a handsome white man.

The video of his interview immediately attracted many female fans. There is currently no one in the NBA more handsome than Xiao Tu, and it is unlikely that there will be one in the future.

James also saw the news, and while he was angry, he was also somewhat relieved.

He was fortunate to have signed a lucrative contract with Nike; otherwise, his performance in the Summer League would have been disastrous. He certainly wouldn't have gotten a fully guaranteed contract; there would have been additional clauses, and the amount wouldn't have been nearly as large.

James is under increasing pressure and must prove himself in the new season.

However, he lacked confidence in defeating Xiao Tu one-on-one and could only hope that star centers Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ricky Davis would perform well. These two did not participate in the Summer League and were the core players of the team last season.

The Heat's roster is terrible. If they don't acquire any established stars to strengthen the team in the summer, James thinks the Cavaliers still have a chance to win.

(End of this chapter)