Basketball miracles

Chapter 47 [The Dark Horse vs. the Champion]

The Lakers are hosting the Houston Rockets in a game that will be broadcast nationally.

The league officially announced the game two days in advance, highlighting the matchup between dark horse rookie Sebastian Shaw and number one draft pick Hakeem Olajuwon.

This year, David Stern's star-making campaign prioritized Shawn Yue, followed by Michael Jordan, and he didn't completely forget about Hakeem Olajuwon, the number one draft pick. After all, Olajuwon became a double-double machine as soon as he entered the league, and in other seasons, he would have easily won Rookie of the Year.

The competition for Rookie of the Year this season is extremely fierce, and it has been called the best draft class in NBA history.

Hakeem Olajuwon is currently averaging 19.4 points, 12 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game, but everyone thinks he won't win an award, including himself.

Upon learning of Xiao Tu's current stats, Olajuwon was somewhat stunned. He could understand that their scores were similar, but Xiao Tu's rebounding numbers were simply outrageous.

When Hakeem Olajuwon first entered college, he was significantly thinner than Xiao Tu. Given Xiao Tu's physique, the fact that he was only drafted 23rd overall gave Olajuwon reason to suspect that the scouts were just wasting their time.

Hakeem Olajuwon was a Nigerian and a gifted athlete.

As a child, he worked as a soccer goalkeeper, which honed his excellent footwork and control over his large frame. It wasn't until he was 15 that he switched to playing basketball after participating in a local basketball tournament.

Everyone praised Olajuwon's talent, but he felt that his talent was inferior to Xiao Tu's. At least in the first two years of college, he was definitely no match for Xiao Tu.

之后他拜在火箭队打球的摩西-马龙为师，夏天一起训练后提升了实力。1983-84赛季他场均砍下16.8分13.5篮板5.6盖帽，投篮命中率67.5%，其中后三项统计都是排名NCAA第一位。

Hakeem Olajuwon estimated that if Xiao Tu went to college, even if he only played one season, he would definitely be the number one draft pick. He was almost three years older than Xiao Tu, and the latter clearly had more potential.

Xiao Tu was more confident and didn't think he would lose to Olajuwon in a matchup; at the very least, it would be a close contest. Phrases like "superb strength" and "defender's agility" were perfectly applicable to him, and he even had a slight edge.

Hakeem Olajuwon's only advantage is his height; at 213cm with shoes on, he's not much taller than Xiao Tu. His 220cm wingspan is quite ordinary, and his 220kg bench press is probably just something made up by fans who think he's not strong enough.

If you can bench press 220 kg, why are you hiding and playing around with the Dream Shake? Just start practicing the Ocean Wave technique!

Xiao Tu doesn't believe the Rockets can defeat the red-hot Lakers; the roster difference is obvious. Hakeem Olajuwon never won a championship in college, only leading his team to the NCAA Final Four three times.

After reviewing his opponent's information, Xiao Tu felt no pressure before the match and was very relaxed.

With two superstar teammates as his backing, he wasn't worried about losing at all. His own chosen rival was Michael Jordan, while Hakeem Olajuwon was just someone he could casually torment.

Unless there's a huge butterfly effect, like a star player getting beaten by the Lakers and joining the Rockets at their peak, the Rockets are still a long way from winning a championship.

Xiao Tu remembered clearly even without checking the data: in this parallel world, Hakeem Olajuwon only won two championships when Jordan first retired. The Rockets of the 80s couldn't possibly beat the Lakers with Olajuwon, unless a miracle occurred.

其实，平行世界1985-86赛季火箭就在季后赛4比1击败湖人杀入了总决赛，2比4惜败凯尔特人。但火箭这个赛季后实力大降，内线核心之一的拉尔夫-桑普森毁于伤病。

With Sampson healthy and the Rockets having a formidable twin towers in the paint, they are a very competitive team.

When the players entered the field, Xiao Tu received enthusiastic applause, which surpassed that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and was comparable to that of Magic Johnson.

Hakeem Olajuwon was only popular in Houston, and was a nobody in Los Angeles. His popularity across the United States was also far behind that of Xiao Tu.

High draft picks would feel uncomfortable if they encountered something like this.

Hakeem Olajuwon was most frustrated, wondering who should be the number one draft pick.
Commentator Tom Heinson chatted about gossip during the players' warm-up. "Shaw looks to be in a good mood, even though Madonna isn't here to watch the game today."

Teammate Dick Stockton joked, "Maybe Madonna doesn't want to distract Shaw and wants him to focus on the game. Shaw has proven himself to be a number one draft pick, and he definitely wants to beat this year's number one pick."

The real reason is that Madonna has no interest in basketball games; she just likes Xiao Tu.

Pat Riley devised a strategy, not intending for Xiao Tu to be the primary scorer at the start. "Seb, I think they'll definitely be guarding you closely today, so I need you to pull out to the perimeter in the first quarter to set screens and create scoring opportunities for your teammates. You can then take the lead on the fast break."

Xiao Tu nodded. "No problem." Riley added, "With Erwin and Karim leading the attack, you have an advantage."

Lakers starting lineup: Johnson, Byron Scott, James Worthy, Xiao Tu, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Rockets starting lineup: John Lucas II, Lewes Lloyd, Rodney McRae, Hakeem Olajuwon, Ralph Sampson.

The Rockets' tactics are similar to the Lakers', with each game featuring two interior stars running pick-and-rolls and post-up plays, while perimeter players drive to the basket.

Sampson won the jump ball, and the game began.

Standing at 224cm, Sampson weighs only 103kg, even thinner than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He has excellent jumping ability and is quite mobile. However, with such a physique, his preference for dribbling, facing the basket, and power-dunking with one hand rather than focusing on jump shots makes a serious injury almost inevitable.

He participated in the inaugural Slam Dunk Contest last season and is someone who loves dunking.

The Rockets attacked first. Sampson and his teammate ran a pick-and-roll. Lucas II broke through but failed and passed the ball to Lloyd, who then lobbed it to Olajuwon in the low post on the right.

In the first round, the two rookies faced off.

Xiao Tu lowered his center of gravity, placing his elbow on Olajuwon's back to prevent him from entering the penalty area. Xiao Tu had never encountered someone he couldn't handle before, and this test gave him confidence.

Olajuwon feinted left and right with his back turned, but Xiao Tu remained unmoved. When Olajuwon feinted his shoulder for the third time and turned towards the baseline, Xiao Tu blocked his path.

Hakeem Olajuwon raised the ball with both hands and faked it again, while Xiao Tu held the ball with one hand and didn't jump. Unable to move any further, Olajuwon forced a jump shot, and Xiao Tu immediately jumped to contest it.

Although Xiao Tu failed to block the shot, the ball bounced off the rim under heavy interference, and Worthy, who had retreated, grabbed the rebound.

In just one round, Olajuwon found it difficult to fight Xiao Tu one-on-one. This was because Xiao Tu was not susceptible to feints and had a solid lower body.

Hakeem Olajuwon, upon entering the league, already knew the "Dream Shake," a skillful application of solid fundamentals. Unfortunately, Xiao Tu had too many one-on-one matches with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on his team, becoming accustomed to guarding interior players who used their footwork and back-to-the-basket moves.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, nicknamed "Skyhook," was also an exceptional player in the paint, combining his post-up skills with his hook shot to create this signature move.

No matter how a player uses post-up moves, the final result is always a turn in one of two directions. Whether they can shake off the defender depends on their speed and rhythm. Xiao Tu is highly mobile, making it impossible for opponents to shake him off with speed. If he doesn't get beaten, he can use his jumping advantage to disrupt shots.

In the Lakers' half-court offense, Xiao Tu stretched out to the three-point line to run a pick-and-roll with Magic Johnson. Olajuwon immediately felt uncomfortable, having to follow him out and not daring to easily switch onto Johnson.

Now all teams know that Xiao Tu's shooting range extends beyond the three-point line, making him the player with the most three-point attempts in the league this season. His high-post jump shot percentage is also very high, making him a player that must be guarded against.

Olajuwon hesitated for a moment, and the 206cm Johnson dribbled to the right side, pulled up for a jump shot, and made it. 2-0.

The 191cm tall Lucas II was in position to chase down the defender but couldn't block the shot, only managing a slight interference.

On the Rockets' offense, Sampson went out to set a screen, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar readily switched to defend the driving point guard. Sampson cut inside, and Johnson could switch to defend him, being stronger despite being a point guard.

Lucas II failed to penetrate to the basket, and three big men blocked the paint. After several passes, with almost 24 seconds left, Lloyd's jump shot on the left side missed, and Xiao Tu grabbed the defensive rebound.

Stockton said, "The Lakers are not only strong on offense, but also on defense, especially in the paint."

Heinson said, "Faced with the Rockets' twin towers strategy, the opponent must defend the paint well. I think the Rockets' two stars won't have an advantage today. The Lakers' interior defense is also very strong, and Shaw can protect the defensive rebounds."

Stockton said, "I think Shaw should have been selected to the All-Defensive Team in his rookie season. He can guard all types of players, and his defensive range is the largest in the entire league."

Xiao Tu hasn't scored yet, but the commentators have already gotten into the habit of praising him.

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(End of this chapter)