Basketball miracles

Chapter 36 [Unfair]

Xiao Tu appeared humble and modest, praising his biggest rival, Michael Jordan. In reality, he listed all his own strengths, which would surely have earned him higher praise.

He had the potential to win a championship in his rookie season, and his record far surpassed Jordan's; Jordan's stats were at most more comprehensive.

Jordan's individual ability is indeed very strong; even if he doesn't praise it, others can see it. His initiative in praising his competitors only makes him appear magnanimous, at least not narrow-minded.

If Xiao Tu were asked to promote an incompetent piece of trash, he definitely wouldn't be able to bring himself to do it.

He also gave Commissioner David Stern a reasonable suggestion through the media: if the league wants to promote more rookies, the two could be nominated for Rookie of the Year together.

This isn't unprecedented in the NBA. In the 1970-71 season, Geoff Petrie and Dave Cowens were jointly named Rookie of the Year. Moreover, the situation that year was very similar to this season, with both inside and outside players sharing the award. Cowens' scoring stats were significantly lower, averaging 17 points, 15 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game.

Xiao Tu never intended to completely suppress Jordan. The league would definitely provide him with a long-term rival; they couldn't just promote him alone. The "Black and White Duo" is the best example; promoting both of them together would attract more fans to the Finals.

If Jordan had been a contender for the scoring title in his rookie season, Xiao Tu's sole selection as Rookie of the Year would have been controversial. Of course, if Jordan had won the award alone, the controversy would have been even greater.

If Stern sees the news and thinks Xiao Tu's suggestion is good, it would be a win-win situation for both of them to win the award together.

Xiao Tu felt that the long-term competition between the two would be even more interesting. Whether in the past or the future, competition between two geniuses would make his honors seem more prestigious.

Star players often have a tacit understanding and enjoy mutual praise. What an honor it is to defeat fellow superstars and win a championship! If everyone is constantly belittling each other, fans will feel that the ultimate winner isn't so remarkable after all.

The NBA continued to promote the game in this way, and it proved very effective.

In this parallel universe, LeBron James may only have four NBA championships, but each one is incredibly valuable. This is because he dominated DeRozan and also defeated formidable teams like the Spurs and Warriors, winning with great difficulty.

The championships won by the Spurs and Warriors are not very prestigious; they always easily defeat weaker teams to win, and their victories are too simple.

A reporter asked, "You have such strong physical abilities, why don't you attack the paint and instead prefer to shoot jump shots? You took four three-pointers this game."

“This is the coach’s tactical arrangement; we can’t all crowd into the paint. Karim’s job is to attack from the low post, which he’s better at. I can make shots from mid-range and long range, which can help create space for my teammates.”

Xiao Tu answered readily. Anyway, his shooting percentage was high today, so Riley wouldn't blame him for taking too many three-pointers.

Moreover, this question is a bit ridiculous. Xiao Tu dunked more times than the entire Bulls team, completing 5 dunks. Isn't that a strong attack on the paint? He didn't argue with the reporter, since no fan would think he was a softie anyway.

Then, Xiao Tu started praising his teammates, as was his routine.

When the reporter interviewed the coach, Riley praised Xiao Tu extensively.

“He not only has the skill, but also a high basketball IQ. He knows what he should do on the court and always makes the best choices. A talent like him can definitely play more flexibly on the court, and I allow him to shoot three-pointers.”

If the players play well, any style of play is acceptable. If the players don't play well, they'll still be criticized even if they play according to the coach's instructions.

In competitive sports, being bad is the original sin; the winner takes all.

Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, two superstars, gave interviews and also spoke highly of Xiao Tu.

They both believed that Xiao Tu was already a star player, having put up impressive double-double numbers in his rookie season.

Who wouldn't like a strong teammate? The Lakers suffered two consecutive Finals defeats, and Xiao Tu's arrival was undoubtedly a timely help.

The Lakers prioritize skill over seniority, a trait common among most NBA teams. If promising young players have to wait for seniority to succeed, they risk missing crucial developmental periods.

The Lakers started the season with a ten-game winning streak and continue to lead the standings. Xiao Tu has the stats and the record; no amount of praise is too much.

When reporters interviewed the Bulls players, they asked Jordan about competing for Rookie of the Year. Jordan replied, "I'm not thinking about that right now, I just want to win. I want to win more games."

When a reporter asked Jordan to comment on his teammates, he angrily refused to speak.

Even among Black people, Jordan's face was the darkest today. His displeasure was written all over his face; not lashing out was already a sign of respect for his teammates.

In a parallel universe, Jordan rarely praised his teammates throughout his career and often criticized them. Playing for the Bulls, if your performance didn't meet his expectations, you might get criticized.

Jordan believes this is one of his ways of motivating his teammates. He said, "If you can keep up with my pace, we'll fight side by side. If you can't, then you're out."

He seems to want to set an example, which makes sense. But he jumps high and runs fast; which ground-based teammate can keep up with his pace?
Jordan is a rookie now, so he can't directly criticize others, but he also doesn't show much respect to his teammates. It's impossible for his teammates to hear anything nice from him.

Even if Jordan doesn't answer questions, the media can still publish news; reporters don't care whether Bulls players are holding Jordan back.

That night, all media outlets declared that Xiao Tu completely outplayed Jordan, dominating the paint alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Whether in terms of on-court impact or statistics, Xiao Tu won; his playing style was extremely efficient.

Nobody's mentioning the stats of the Bulls' interior players; it's normal for unknowns to underperform. They can't rack up stats against star players either; they simply don't have the ability.

If Xiao Tu maintains his form, he will most likely surpass Moses Malone to win the rebounding title this season. This alone will provide ample material for the media.

He also contributed 4 blocks, demonstrating his ability to help and assist in defense.

Furthermore, his "crazy" three-point shooting as an inside player was mentioned by all the media. If he missed, he would definitely be ridiculed; if he made, that would be a testament to his skill.

Xiao Tu was the best among the rookies at integrating into the team. His teammates praised him, and he loved to praise them in return. Jordan, on the other hand, had a somewhat strained relationship with his teammates and appeared arrogant and unsociable.

The media's description of rookies as arrogant is by no means a compliment, especially for rookies who don't win games.

Jordan was indeed a loner and didn't have many friends on the team. Xiao Tu knew this wasn't just a recent phenomenon; it had always been true for him.

In the documentary "The Last Dance," Jordan attributed all the credit for winning the championship to himself, which made his teammates very unhappy, feeling that their efforts were not respected.

After retiring, Pippen said that Jordan was particularly difficult to get along with. Even though the two won six championships together and were teammates for eight years, he and Jordan were not even friends, but just colleagues.

Because Xiao Tu's sudden emergence triggered a butterfly effect, Jordan wasn't seen as outstanding by Stern. After reading the news, Stern believed that Xiao Tu's personality was much better than Jordan's and that he was more worthy of praise.

So Stern decided to speak to the referees to get Xiao Tu more free throws. Xiao Tu attacks the basket a lot every game and leads the league in offensive rebounds, but he only averages 5 free throws per game, which is nothing compared to the star players.

Is this fair? No, it's not!

This doesn't make any sense at all!

Even top-tier rookies were forced to shoot three-pointers because they weren't getting any whistles!
Typically, it's difficult for rookies to get free throws; referees often don't call fouls unless it's an obvious one. Rookies also frequently find themselves in foul trouble when matched up against star players.

A few more free throws in a game may seem like a small difference, but they actually make players harder to defend. They can cause foul trouble for the opponent's starting players, reducing their playing time; some of these effects cannot be reflected in statistics.

If a player gets few free throws and can't draw fouls, not only will their offensive threat be limited, but they may also face more aggressive defense.

Xiao Tu not only gained popularity, but also received a silver treasure chest after winning the game, two in a row.

He's even more eager to put up phenomenal numbers, and if he performs brilliantly in the playoffs, the reward will likely be even greater. However, he's well aware that if Kareem Abdul-Jabbar doesn't retire, his shot attempts won't be as numerous, and he'll have to share the ball.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's playing style is relatively conservative, and under normal circumstances, he could continue playing for several more years. With Xiao Tu as a partner who excels at rebounding, the chances of Abdul-Jabbar getting injured have become even lower.

The good news is that their partnership in the paint is simply unbeatable!
(End of this chapter)