Basketball miracles

Chapter 231 [It's Hard Not to Be Famous: The Other Extreme]

In an interview, Pat Riley modestly stated, "The Heat's winning streak at the start of the season was somewhat fortunate. The team had a tough schedule, and our wins were not easy."

Riley complained about the schedule, saying that it couldn't be changed this season and he hoped it would be better next season.

He also praised Xiao Tu: "Magic never had a 40+ triple-double in his entire career, and Seb has had two consecutive 40+ triple-doubles in his first two games. I can hardly believe this is the performance of a rookie."

The reporter asked, "What heights do you think he can reach in the future?"

"He will definitely become a superstar and lead the Heat to a championship. I don't usually set high goals for young players, but Seb is fearless and dared to declare his ambition to win a championship in his rookie season."

Riley wasn't thinking about this season; he believed that if the Heat won the championship within three seasons, Xiao Tu would be the greatest player in Heat history, a superstar.

Riley's low-key approach stems from the fact that the Heat's weaknesses were utterly exposed in this game; their interior defense was completely overwhelmed by the Celtics. If the Heat couldn't even stop the Celtics' big men, how can they possibly beat teams with All-Star big men in the playoffs?
Xiao Tu had already given the answer: focus on offense. He believed that this Heat team was better defensively than the Suns led by Nash.

It's okay if they can't defend; they just need to launch a better offense and make it unstoppable for their opponents. Of course, this is easier said than done, especially in the playoffs.

Nobody believes the Heat can win a championship by relying solely on offense, including the Heat's coaching staff. The prevailing belief in the NBA right now is that "offense wins over the crowd, but defense wins the championship."

Xiao Tu flew back to Miami with the team. After returning to his apartment, he washed up and went to bed, too lazy to go online.

The team will have a day off tomorrow, and the players should take advantage of the time to rest and prepare for the home opener on the 31st, against the Detroit Pistons.

Xiao Tu woke up around 10 a.m., too lazy to cook, and ordered a beef pizza for delivery. He went online to check the sports news and found himself on the front page.

His consecutive 40+ triple-doubles were phenomenal, unmatched by any other player. Actually, he had a lot of news after the first game, but I wasn't online in Boston and couldn't see it.

All media outlets focused on reporting Xiao Tu's performance, and netizens discussed it enthusiastically.

"After the Summer League, I always felt that Xiao was arrogant. After looking at the stats, I think he had reason to be arrogant. He's really strong!"

"I've never thought Xiao was arrogant; I'm more inclined to believe he's just confident and proud. His few outrageous remarks seem more like hype or something the media deliberately created to grab attention."

"He exudes an aura of dominance, a sense of 'I am the only one who can do it.' He doesn't seem to be vying for Rookie of the Year; he's aiming directly for the scoring title, assist title, and regular season MVP."

"This rookie is really handsome. He has the air of a movie star. There aren't any guys this handsome in Hollywood these days."

Major media outlets compared LeBron James to Xiao Tu, suggesting that the "Chosen One's" near double-double performance wasn't particularly impressive. Furthermore, the Cavaliers lost 92-106 to a depleted Kings team, meaning James's performance was in vain.

他首发出场42分钟，贡献25分6篮板9助攻4抢断。

The Kings are not only missing their core player Chris Webber, but their roster is also very unbalanced, with shockingly slow speed. Veteran Divac and Brad Miller form a white twin-tower frontcourt, playing a very slow, walking style of basketball. White small forward Peja Stojakovic is also 206cm tall, but lacks athleticism, making it a veritable three-tall lineup.

This game was broadcast live across the United States and had a high viewership. Many netizens criticized James after the game.

Xiao Tu thought that if James were online, he would be stunned to see the comments. This was his best game since the draft; even his jump shot percentage was high, and he made quite a few mid-range shots.

The problem is that comparisons are inevitable. With Xiao Tu, a low draft pick from the same year, as a benchmark, James falls far short. Moreover, his playing style isn't as stylish as Xiao Tu's; he just gives off an impression of being very brave and possessing exceptional athleticism.

Xiao Tu knew that James still had many advantages.

The criticism leveled at LeBron James can only be attributed to the fact that if LeBron was born, why would anyone else be born with Kobe, McCollum, Iverson, Wesley, Curry, Durant, etc.? Without these players, many people might find his playing style very cool.

Aside from his inconsistent shooting and somewhat awkward movements, LeBron James currently has many strengths. He plays a combination of drives, passes, and shots, and once he adapts to the pace of the NBA, he could put up impressive numbers in his second year.

In short, the news is all praising Xiao Tu, and basketball experts are offering their hindsight predictions, believing he's destined to become a superstar. The Miami Herald published a large close-up photo of Xiao Tu, stating that no one in the NBA can compare to him in terms of looks. He's sunny, handsome, muscular, and has a dazzling playing style—it's hard for him not to become famous!
President David Stern had already set his sights on Xiao Tu and was now giving him his full support.

Xiao Tu being the 33rd overall pick in the second round is the best selling point; fans love a low-drama underdog story. Xiao Tu has given interviews declaring his intention to contend for a championship, appearing very confident, which will only make him more eye-catching.

In addition, the league began promoting Xiao Tu as a "white magician".

Previously, whenever the media saw a white forward playing well, they would say he was Larry Bird's successor, but they never mentioned this when praising Xiao Tu.

This was the result of Xiao Tu's deliberate guidance. Whenever a reporter asked him which player he liked, he would always say Magic Johnson, and he would also wear Magic Johnson's shoes.

Bird? Xiao Tu never mentioned that name. People could even clearly sense that Xiao Tu disliked Bird, and Stern naturally wouldn't allow anyone to publicize Xiao Tu as Bird's successor.

More and more casual fans are paying attention to Xiao Tu, mostly due to his popularity from two 40+ triple-double games, as well as many fans who have developed a liking for him after getting to know him better.

There are many good players in the NBA, but few are also handsome. Someone as handsome as Xiao Tu is extremely rare, not to mention he is still very young!

Being young means having potential, and it also means being more likely to be liked and admired by other young people.

Xiao Tu is only one year older than LeBron James. While James is just starting to develop in the NBA, Xiao Tu has already put up superstar numbers. In NBA history, very few players have been able to record a 40+ point triple-double in a single game. Larry Bird did it three times, but Magic Johnson never did.

Some media outlets also mentioned the Pistons' white rookie center Darko Milicic, comparing him to Xiao Tu, who is at the complete opposite extreme.

No one knows if Milicic will be able to play against the Heat; he was just a fringe player in the opening game.

Darko Milicic was one of the most watched players in that draft class besides LeBron James. As an international player, being ranked second overall in the highly competitive 2003 draft class demonstrates his immense popularity and potential.

Just two weeks before the draft, Pistons president Joe Dumars confidently told the media, "Carmelo is the championship piece we need."

After watching Milicic's training videos, Dumars changed his mind: "This kid is like a young Chamberlain! He's even faster than Nowitzki."

The irresistible allure of the scouting report ultimately outweighed the promise, and Carmelo Anthony, who thought he was going to the Pistons, was extremely disappointed on draft day.

The Pistons lost their home opener to the Pacers 87-89, and Milicic did not get a chance to play. Fans suspected he was injured during practice, but he is actually healthy; the coach just wouldn't let him play.

The Pistons' preseason game against the Nuggets was particularly bizarre; Brown deliberately gave Milicic only two seconds of playing time in his debut, intentionally trying to annoy him. Anthony, on the other hand, scored 21 points, helping the Nuggets win the game.

Xiao Tu knew that people were destined never to see the two of them go head-to-head on the court. Milicic would only play during garbage time, while Xiao Tu would only be the one creating garbage time and clocking out early.

Milicic's lackluster performance in the preseason was purely due to the Pistons' new head coach, Larry Brown, not liking him. Brown is a rookie killer, always disliking young players, especially European ones.

In a parallel universe, Milicic spent three seasons with the Pistons, only ever as a fringe player. He was arguably the most unlucky guy in NBA history; the Pistons' management refused to trade him, wasting his entire developmental period.

Xiao Tu will not be facing the "full-strength" Pistons tomorrow. The Pistons did not have a good record in the early part of the season, but they traded for Rasheed Wallace in the middle of the season to strengthen their weak position at power forward and then rose to prominence, eventually winning the championship in a "surprise" upset in the playoffs.

This appears to be an insider trade, with the Hawks doing the Pistons a huge favor. Rasheed only played one game after being traded to the Hawks before being sent back to the Pistons.

The Pistons traded two low-draft first-round picks for an All-Star power forward who could clear the paint and score one-on-one, and also got rid of the self-important "trash" Bob Sura.

With this much information, if the Pistons approached the Trail Blazers directly, the Blazers' manager wouldn't even bother to discuss it.

Even more outrageous is that Rasheed, who had been the leader of the Trail Blazers for many years, was touted as an "ordinary player" as soon as he joined the Pistons. The Pistons' championship-caliber roster of "ordinary players" is incredibly strong...

(End of this chapter)