Basketball miracles

Chapter 15 [Did...I kill myself?!]

The Lakers had a large lead, and Xiao Tu was still sent on in the final quarter.

Pat Riley wanted him to rack up some more stats and gain some experience. Chambers did indeed come on; the coach fielded several starters in the hopes of minimizing the home loss.

Xiao Tu used his physical advantage to make two cuts to the basket and score. The first time, he completed a two-handed dunk, and the second time, he drew a foul from Chambers and made one of two free throws.

Chambers was constantly being pushed aside, and aside from fouling, he had no good way to stop Xiao Tu from attacking the basket. His fifth foul was again against the player, not the ball, but fortunately, his upper body strength was average, so it didn't cause any harm to Xiao Tu.

At 8 minutes and 08 seconds, the SuperSonics' guard intercepted the ball and launched a quick counterattack, passing it to Chambers who was making a run down the court.

Chambers' stats were completely outclassed today, and he didn't even manage a dunk. He calculated the distance perfectly, taking three steps from the right side, ready to showcase his toughness.

When Xiao Tu saw the guy's gritted teeth expression, he knew that the "opportunity" had arrived.

Xiao Tu has only committed two fouls so far, and his defense has been clean and gentle. He didn't complain when Chambers fouled him hard twice, which seems to suggest he's being well-behaved. He's an 18-year-old rookie, and Coach Riley isn't going to assign him dirty work.

In every respect, Xiao Tu is harmless, except for his amazing physical abilities.

Chambers took off, flying very, very high.

The ship that Ximen Wuhen was on exploded; it didn't even fly as high as him.

Xiao Tu felt the same way as Liu Dekai and Jiao Enjun: he had to kill Aunt Ximen as soon as he got the chance, or he would be haunted by her for life.

*Thud!* Chambers flew sideways out of bounds and crashed heavily to the ground, landing on his shoulder first.

Xiao Tu leaped towards his opponent with all his might, and the two collided in mid-air, causing Chambers' center of gravity to shift significantly. Everyone could clearly see that Xiao Tu's arms struck Chambers squarely in the face.

Xiao Tu landed steadily, quite pleased with his "little trick." Chambers' foul in the third quarter didn't result in an ejection, and he believed he wouldn't be ejected either.

That's really a small trick. If he really wanted to, he could have given Chambers a King of Fighters-style airdrop.

Playing in the NBA in the 80s was fucking awesome! So awesome!
It's just a foul on the player, not the ball, right? It's not difficult at all.

I used to be a pacifist, but in the NBA, which is full of violent elements, I had no choice but to adapt to local customs. I was helpless about it.

A deafening chorus of boos erupted from the SuperSonics' home crowd, but no SuperSonics player stood up for Chambers. Many casual fans now believe that the NBA of the 80s was a constant battleground, always ready to erupt into high school action.

That's not actually the case at all. Conflicts between the two are common, but group fights are rare.

How could the NBA possibly involve two groups of people constantly fighting over basketball? How stupid would the players have to be to do that?
Chambers hasn't been with the SuperSonics for long, and his teammates aren't close enough for them to fight over him. Besides, Xiao Tu is performing too well; he looks like a real fighter.

Unless the center plays, none of the SuperSonics' perimeter players dare to test Xiao Tu's fighting ability.

Even Chambers, who is 208cm tall, was knocked away by Xiao Tu. For someone who is less than 2 meters tall to go and cause trouble for him, isn't that just asking for death?
Center Hickoma is the team's leader and the one who should be protected. Only a madman would challenge Xiao Tu to a duel for his teammate. He shook his head inwardly at Chambers' miserable state; this was the consequence of underestimating the opponent.

Chambers lay on the ground for a while, clutching his shoulder, before getting up and not bothering Xiao Tu.

During the dead ball situation, Riley had already substituted Xiao Tu to rest. If Chambers wanted to fight, he would have to go to the Lakers' bench to make a move.

He didn't dare to do that; he was a complete coward.

肖途出战34分钟，11投7中，三分球2中1，罚球8中6，砍下21分20篮板2助攻1抢断2盖帽。

Even with the opposing big men constantly holed up in the paint, Xiao Tu still managed three spectacular dunks. He also made three-pointers in both games, another highlight.

Unfortunately, Riley wouldn't allow him to shoot more three-pointers; if he didn't want to be substituted, he had to reduce his shot attempts to "calm down."

Xiao Tu came on in the final quarter to put up a double-double of 20 points. Two consecutive double-doubles would be better for publicity, and the Lakers' coaching staff and management all hope he can put up such numbers.

Chambers was in excruciating pain in his right shoulder and was substituted before he could complete his free throws, returning directly to the locker room. He had fallen hard and needed to go to the hospital for X-rays.

Both were substituted off the field, but Xiao Tu looked radiant on the sidelines, while Chambers looked disheveled.

Sitting in the empty locker room, Chambers stared blankly, beginning to question his existence. His weakness in physical confrontation was completely exposed; all his shots were taken from outside the paint, making him look like a softie. He used to use dunks to disguise himself as a tough guy, which was different from Xiao Tu, who preferred physical confrontation.

He played 28 minutes, shooting 3-for-13 from the field and 2-for-4 from the free-throw line, scoring 8 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, and dishing out 2 assists. His jump shot percentage was very low, and he was repeatedly disrupted by Xiao Tu. He only managed 3 defensive rebounds, a subpar performance.

He'll become a laughing stock as long as people know what he said in his pre-game interview. He said he was going to teach the rookies a lesson, but he ended up getting taught a lesson himself—how embarrassing!

Chambers began to question the meaning of life.

He was the one who provoked the game before it started, he was the one who committed the first serious foul, and he was also the one who got injured in the end.

Alone, Chambers had a burst of inspiration and gradually figured out the whole story.

Where did I come from and where will I go after death? Why did I come into this world? Did the world choose me or did I choose the world? Does the universe have an end? Does time have a beginning and an end? Where does the past disappear? Where does the future stop?

Who killed me?

And whom did I kill?!
Is it... that I killed myself?!
The Lakers won 134-105 on the road against the SuperSonics, securing their second consecutive victory.

Had Riley not substituted in an all-reserve lineup too early, allowing the SuperSonics to close the gap, the score difference could have reached 40 points. SuperSonics fans were utterly disappointed, and many chose to leave early.

The Lakers had multiple players contributing, with six players scoring in double figures and three scoring 20+ points.

Magic Johnson led all scorers with 28 points, 4 rebounds, and 15 assists, marking his second consecutive game with 15+ assists. His night out didn't seem to affect his performance, as he easily dominated Gerald Henderson.

Pick and roll is the easiest tactic to rack up assists. Johnson's goal this season is not only to become the assist king, but also to break the NBA's all-time single-season assist record.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also contributed 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, with a high shooting percentage.

At the Lakers' post-game press conference, Xiao Tu once again became the focus, with reporters eager to hear his thoughts.

Xiao Tu laughed and said, "I'm very happy. The team has won consecutive games, and I've performed very well. My hard work during the holiday has paid off, and now I feel like I can become a star in the NBA."

A Seattle reporter asked about the matchup between Xiao Tu and Chambers today, and his tone was unfriendly.

Xiao Tu stated frankly, "I am stronger than Chambers, and everyone can see that. He got a little anxious because he couldn't defend me, and his defensive moves became more and more aggressive."

A Seattle reporter asked, "Your defensive moves were even bigger in the fourth quarter, weren't they? Chambers got injured by you."

Xiao Tu said calmly, "I don't want to hurt anyone. I just don't like it when people dunk in front of me. I'm stopping him from dunking, just like he's desperately trying to stop me from dunking."

An eye for an eye; anyone who says I'm wrong is being hypocritical!
Another reporter asked, "Do you consider yourselves the same type of players?"

Xiao Tu shook his head and smiled, "I don't think so. He's not good at rebounding or physical contact. I heard he's good at dunking, but I didn't see it today."

Xiao Tu didn't consider himself a defensive expert; he just thought Chambers was a weakling. He defended him instinctively; it was very simple.

His words were, of course, sarcastic and uncompromising; he wasn't going to mince words with Chambers.

You fouled me maliciously, and I'm only being good-natured by not slapping you to death.

If you're not satisfied, let's keep going next time.

Most reporters liked Xiao Tu; he was different from other rookies, acting very arrogantly. Arrogant people create big news, much more interesting than rookies who dare not speak up.

Xiao Tu will not keep a low profile. He did not travel to this era to make friends with his opponents; all other teams are enemies.

The reporter asked, "You've achieved double-doubles in two consecutive games. What are your thoughts on that?"

"I don't have any particular thoughts. I give my all in every game. My goal is to help the team win every game; statistics are just secondary. If my stats are great but the team loses, then it's meaningless."

(End of this chapter)