Basketball miracles

Chapter 5 [Strengths]

During the nationally televised match, neither of the two commentators mentioned Bao Wei much. He was purely a background character; apart from his height, there were no redeeming qualities.

Bowie was not only bad on offense, but also on defense he couldn't stop either Shawn Yue or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Ramsey substituted Bowie early in the first quarter to protect him. The coach wanted Bowie to rest for a while before returning to the court, hoping he could regain his confidence by facing the Lakers' backup center in the second quarter.

Ramsey led the Portland Trail Blazers to their only NBA championship in 1977. His visionary coaching philosophies are widely admired. One key principle remains relevant in the NBA even after 2020: exploiting mismatches!
He is also adept at "Tian Ji's horse racing strategy," emphasizing the development of a sixth man to give the team the upper hand in the second quarter.

Xiao Tu was watching from the sidelines when Magic Johnson next to him asked with a smile, "You dominated the second overall pick in your debut game. What are your thoughts?"

Xiao Tu scoffed, "I think he's a complete fraud, utterly weak."

Johnson laughed: "Hahaha, I love your wild side, keep it up."

NBA stars are generally very arrogant; it's difficult for someone who lacks confidence to achieve success on the court.

On his first day reporting for the league, Xiao Tu, when questioned by Coach Riley, loudly declared his intention to help the Lakers defeat the Celtics and win the championship, leaving a deep impression on everyone.

He has no concept of humility; he comes out with an attitude of wanting to punch Larry Bird and kick Robert Parish. He didn't hold back in team scrimmages either, playing incredibly aggressively.

His goal is to become the Lakers' core duo inside and outside with Magic Johnson, so how can he keep a low profile?

To avoid his teammates thinking he had become arrogant and his personality was not as good as when he first arrived, he decided to expose his true nature directly and then just prove that he had the right to be arrogant.

An arrogant person playing in the NBA has an advantage on both offense and defense.

It's not that I'm bad when I use my elbow to clear a path or knock down my opponent while defending; it's because I'm too aggressive and can't control my power!
This is as reasonable as a car mechanic carrying a wrench and pliers with him.

Keeping a low profile, developing stealthily, or playing dumb to outmaneuver others... those are not things that someone with cheat codes should do. If he did that, he'd be brain-dead.

The game continued, and Xiao Tu watched the substitutes play with great interest, with a "let's have some fun" attitude.

Even if Bowie can't compete with the stars, surely he can still make a difference as a substitute, right?
not at all.

This guy was once again outmaneuvered by Lakers' 206cm tall, 104kg Mitch Kupchak.

This future Lakers' renowned general manager is a non-famous player, a prime example of overpaid underperformers. Kupchak has poor explosiveness and almost no shot-blocking ability. Bowie, when facing him, could only avoid him, stumbling and making only 1 of 3 shots, unable to grab offensive rebounds.

His only goal came when he received a pass from a teammate inside the penalty area and easily dunked, finishing with an easy basket.

Bowie couldn't penetrate to the basket on his own; he was always forced to shoot from a distance, leaving the outcome to fate.

Whether Bowie's playing style can build confidence is anyone's guess. Xiao Tu felt that if he were the Trail Blazers coach, he would definitely have lost faith in him today.

What a piece of trash! His thighs don't even look thin, so how come he has no strength?
During team practice, Xiao Tu easily backed down Kupchak with the ball. He only knows two back-to-the-basket techniques, but he can knock many people back and easily turn to shoot. Offensive play isn't his strong suit, but he's still better than Bowie.

Ironically, many casual fans believe that Bowie deserved to be the second overall pick, but his frequent injuries ruined his chances.

In fact, unless Bowie gains weight and becomes tougher, he will be ineffective on offense. However, if he gains weight, his already slow speed will become even slower, and he will also suffer frequent injuries.

His only redeeming quality is his ability to protect the rim; he can stand inside the restricted area and wait for people to attack him, thus benefiting from the rules.

Using the "Tian Ji horse racing" strategy, the Trail Blazers narrowed the gap in the first 5 minutes of the second quarter.

With Kupchak and Kurt Rambis on the court together, the Lakers' interior offense became extremely weak, practically nonexistent. Fans all saw Xiao Tu's strengths, even when he wasn't playing.

After a short rest, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar returned to the court and scored consecutively, while Bowie became a glaring defensive liability and was quickly substituted.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's low-post back-to-the-basket game was incredibly successful; no opponent could block his hook shot. Whether the ball went in or not largely depended on his touch.

Xiao Tu also had a headache defending Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and he never managed to stop him. He could only try to guard him closely and disrupt Abdul-Jabbar's turnaround shooting rhythm, which had some effect.

Bowie's defensive approach is similar to Michael Thompson's: don't stick close, let the opponent make comfortable moves, and then jump to contest the shot once they get into the paint. Xiao Tu came off the bench and didn't score in the latter part of the second quarter, unable to receive passes.

When his star teammates are on fire, Xiao Tu can only create space and play a supporting role. This is Coach Pat Riley's arrangement; even Magic Johnson has to reduce his shot attempts and lob the ball to the low post.

Xiao Tu's biggest weakness in playing off the ball is his heavy reliance on his teammates' passes. He might think it's a good opportunity, but if the ball doesn't come through, he's completely helpless.

If players want to rack up stats, the core style of play that combines drives, passes, and shots, like LeBron James, is the way to go.

With the ball in my hands, I rule the world!
He can't be responsible for the Lakers' offense for the time being; solid dribbling fundamentals aren't enough. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's footwork is just as good as his hook shot; he can't compare at all.

Fortunately, Xiao Tu excels in defense and rebounding, which allows him to contribute other statistics.

He grabbed four more rebounds in the first half and delivered two blocks to backup power forward Kenny Kyle, finishing the first half with 6 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Kenny Kyle is a 201cm tall, 100kg Black power forward with impressive physical attributes.

In the 1977 NBA draft, the Lakers selected Kenny Kyle with the sixth overall pick in the first round, thus missing out on Bernard King. Two and a half seasons later, the Lakers traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This black guy was particularly eager to show off his toughness against his former team. He thought he could overpower Xiao Tu just because Xiao Tu had fair skin, but he got taught a lesson. His style of play, where he tries to force his way to the basket, is basically a recipe for getting blocked once he doesn't have a physical advantage.

Xiao Tu wasn't sure what level he could achieve in the 21st century, but in the 80s, his physical attributes alone were enough to overwhelm most players. He became increasingly confident and completely lost his nervousness.

His opponents are all weak, so why would he be nervous facing such weaklings?

He feels that as long as he takes enough shots, his average score will not be less than 20 points per game, and he can even compete for the rebounding title.

The Lakers were riding high at home, leading 57-36 by halftime.

Last season, the Trail Blazers had a strong offense, but in their first game of this season, they scored less than 20 points in two consecutive quarters, which was quite surprising.

Backup shooting guard Jim Paxson scored 8 points in the quarter, helping the Trail Blazers stay close. The Blazers' interior players barely scored, and they were completely outplayed.

During halftime, the commentators discussed the game and concluded that it wasn't that the Trail Blazers had become weaker, but rather that the Lakers had become stronger after Xiao Tu joined the team.

The Lakers are a championship contender, and their loss last season was directly related to the Celtics dominating their power forward position.

Kurt Rambis wasn't just bad on offense; he couldn't even out-rebound Larry Bird, who was also a floor-bound player. Bob McAdu was strong on offense but weak on defense, and he couldn't get rebounds either.

Now that the power forward position has become a strong point, the Lakers' roster no longer has any weaknesses.

Heinson sighed, "If Shaw had been on the team last season, the Lakers would likely have won the championship. His defensive ability is too strong, and he can be even stronger in the future."

Stockton chuckled, "Are you starting to worry about the Celtics? Their chances of defending their title have increased significantly this season."

"Yeah, it's a terrible feeling."

Heinsson is a Celtics legend, a 201cm white power forward who spent his entire career with the Celtics. He won eight NBA championships with the team and was selected to the All-Star team six times.

After retiring, he also served as the head coach of the Celtics and won the Coach of the Year award, leading the team to two NBA championships.

He really didn't want to see the Celtics lose to the Lakers, but he had a feeling the Celtics were in danger this season.

The commentator spoke highly of Xiao Tu, and his fan base is sure to surge after this match.

Xiao Tu didn't think he played well in the first half, mainly because he was dissatisfied with his scoring stats and shot attempts. He only took three shots in the first half, and missed one low-post shot in the second quarter, which was far too few.

His goal is to become a superstar, not a blue-collar worker, but a piece of the championship puzzle.

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(End of this chapter)