Basketball miracles

Chapter 243 [I've never seen such a disgusting team!]

That evening, the Heat team took a bus to San Antonio for their back-to-back away game against the Spurs the following day.

The Heat's schedule this season is truly awful. Not only did they start with two back-to-back games, but this time they're facing two strong Western Conference teams. Aside from Xiao Tu, the players all feel exhausted.

Even those who were close to Xiao Tu didn't bother discussing his record-breaking triple-double on the bus. Everyone just wanted to rest on the bus for a while, check into the hotel, and go to sleep immediately; they had no energy for chatting.

Ultimately, the Heat's problem stemmed from having too few players in their rotation. Against the Mavericks, they relied primarily on an eight-man rotation. The other bench players weren't strong enough, and their extended playing time hampered the team, leading to the loss.

People aren't machines. When a team plays away games, the travel itself is more grueling than playing basketball.

The Spurs, not only playing at home but also as the defending champions, have a roster that appears significantly stronger than the Heat's. Experts generally predict a Spurs victory, with the Heat's four-game winning streak being quite unexpected.

The Heat's only advantage is having a superstar scorer. Even though the Spurs' star power forward Tim Duncan has led the team to two championships, his popularity this season is not as high as Xiao Tu's.

The next day, all media outlets reported on Xiao Tu's 60+ triple-double, and his performance shocked the world.

Fans love seeing stars put up incredible numbers; if Jordan couldn't, he wouldn't be popular. Before he retired, Jordan couldn't even be selected as a starter in the Eastern Conference All-Star Game; he had to be chosen by others.

The media is going crazy praising Xiao Tu, almost to the point of hysteria. Because of his high scoring numbers, he's been hailed as Jordan's successor. Experts say that calling him "the white magician" doesn't do him justice.

Many retired and current NBA stars gave interviews praising Xiao Tu, calling his stats incredible. Since the opponents were strong teams, the stars couldn't accuse him of padding his stats; even Chamberlain and Jordan never achieved such numbers.

The media started to overhype Xiao Tu, with some experts saying that as long as he can maintain this form, he may very well surpass Oscar Robertson and become the NBA's all-time triple-double king.

After just four games, some experts believe that Xiao Tu's ability surpasses that of the Magic's star player, last season's scoring champion Tracy McGrady.

This statement will certainly cause considerable controversy. Last season, McGrady averaged 32.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. He gained countless fans and was the leading vote-getter for the Eastern Conference All-Star Game.

However, McGrady has indeed been in poor form this season, a stark contrast to last season. In the same day's game, the Magic lost 68-75 at home to the struggling Knicks.

麦迪出战41分钟，20投5中，三分球5中0，罚球10中9，得到19分8篮板3助攻。魔术开局战绩1胜3负，上赛季战绩也不好，麦迪的带队能力受到了质疑。

Furthermore, in the six games played on the same day, no team scored over 100 points. All teams played a piecemeal style, retreating to their paint for defense, resulting in incredibly unattractive playing styles.

Xiao Tu led his team to speed up the pace and compete with the Mavericks on offense, resulting in a season-high viewership for the game. Xiao Tu's individual scoring was almost equal to the entire Magic team's, and no one jumped out to say "defense wins championships."

Some teams really score very few points, so why don't you win!

Commissioner David Stern wants to see all teams win by focusing on offense, and Xiao Tu has set an example. The league is not going to let those brainless defenders who advocate defense suppress this momentum.

Unfortunately, the Heat's winning streak was ended the next day, with them losing to the Spurs 93-100.

Just as the media predicted, the Heat struggle against teams with superstar centers. Duncan dominated Brian Grant with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 2 assists.

格兰特8投1中，罚球2中1，得到3分3篮板1助攻。不知道他是不是面对邓肯的压力太大了，好几次空位中投都不进。

Even Xiao Tu, who never criticizes his teammates, couldn't take it anymore and was internally screaming, "Are you kidding me?"
Grant wasn't the only Heat player to underperform; everyone except Xiao Tu and Eddie Jones played terribly.

得到20分的琼斯还因为6次犯满被罚下了，总共只出战了34分钟。奥多姆也有5次犯规，哈斯勒姆4次，两队罚球马刺41比24遥遥领先。

Wade once again exposed his weaknesses: lack of experience, poor shooting, and limited effectiveness against teams with strong interior defense. He shot 2-for-9 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free-throw line, finishing with 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists.

肖途带不动疲劳的队友，自己频繁的遭遇包夹。他出战42分钟，只得到26分12篮板6助攻2抢断。

Xiao Tu didn't think the Spurs' perimeter defensive specialist, Bruce Bowen, was that great. Bowen was 201cm tall, not fast, not high-jumping, and very thin, probably weighing around 90kg. But Bowen was cunning; he had ways to distract opponents on offense. He defended drives, not shots, trying not to get beaten, then waiting for the opposing star to shoot before extending his leg to catch it. Every perimeter star in the league had been scooped by him; that was his job with the Spurs.

Bowen failed to injure Xiao Tu, but his behavior was disgusting; he chased after him and tried to trip him. Bowen would also pull Xiao Tu's jersey with his hands and knee him in the leg while defending.

Xiao Tu always felt an urge to beat up Bowen every time he landed, but anyone who tried to do so would be falling into a trap. He almost never attacked, his average points never reached double digits, and if a star player tried to trade blows with him, the opponent would definitely be the one who suffered.

这场鲍文打了30分钟，3投0中，罚球2中1，就得1分3篮板1助攻。

Xiao Tu didn't give the Spurs a friendly look after the game, refusing to shake hands, and even started criticizing them at the press conference.

He felt that anyone who truly admired a Spurs star should, in a post-game interview, say something like, "Everyone's eyes are on me, I have something to announce..."

There are indeed people who praise the Spurs and their coach, Gregg Popovich. Chinese fans have given him the nickname "Popovich the Zhuge Liang." So, may I ask, which famous general did Zhuge Liang arrange for someone to trip him up?
Xiao Tu said, "Bowen kept chasing me and tripping me without stopping. It was obviously a task assigned by the coach. I've never seen such a trashy person, nor such a disgusting team!"

"The Spurs' games are so ugly, I never used to watch them. Now I suspect that the Spurs' strategy is to injure all the star players of their opponents and then win the championship by cheating."

"If you don't believe me, just follow the Spurs' news and see how many star players get tripped and injured when playing against the Spurs. Let's see if I'm just bashing them, or if they only know how to win through underhanded tactics!"

Xiao Tu doesn't mince words; he just goes straight for the criticism, and it gets a lot of attention. As long as he doesn't question the referee, he won't be fined.

I am a victim, why should I give face to the bad guys?
If the Spurs think I'm wrong, they should find evidence to prove their innocence.

Given Bowen's actions, the Spurs' attempt to whitewash him will only result in more criticism in the future.

At the Spurs' press conference, Popovich emphasized the rationality of the defensive strategy, believing that Bowen's physical contact was "normal defense."

That evening, Xiao Tu received a lot of support online, not only from fans, but also from media and star players. Xiao Tu was telling the truth; he didn't embellish anything. Are those who say the Spurs play beautifully and have clean defense blind?
Reporters asked the players to comment on Xiao Tu's 60+ triple-double. While some gave him a positive review, they also shared their experience of being tripped by Bowen.

President Stern also disliked the Spurs, and Xiao Tu's words struck a chord with him.

If Bowen injures all the scoring, beautifully styled stars, who will the fans watch? What will be the highlight of the Spurs' championship run? Duncan's low-post bank shots?

Duncan's nickname was "The Fundamental," because he relied entirely on his physique and solid fundamentals to play, and his playing style couldn't be compared to that of outside stars.

It's no secret that Bowen would chase after players and trip them with his feet; he would do it when defending star players, and the referees wouldn't even call it a regular foul.

The league has been too lenient with the Spurs in the past; fans of other teams don't understand why the league is favoring the Spurs. Duncan wasn't as innocent as his expression suggested; he didn't personally injure anyone, yet he was the biggest beneficiary of the win.

Some fans also believe that Duncan is an overrated star, and that his aggressive defensive moves are not called by the referees.

Despite the Heat's loss, people's opinion of Xiao Tu has not decreased at all; on the contrary, it has increased.

Xiao Tu is not only capable, but also outspoken and daring, which makes him truly domineering!

Young people like players with flamboyant personalities, and Xiao Tu has shown uniqueness; there is no one similar to him in the league.

This league is a star-making factory; it's never short of stars. But not every star dares to speak out; most are low-key. Moreover, the NBA has a lot of unattractive players; handsome stars are few and far between.

People who stand out from the crowd are more likely to be favored.

Xiao Tu's 26-point double-double in a single game was so impressive that even fans thought he hadn't performed well, which shows just how strong he is. No other rookie has achieved that level of performance; only five rookies have ever scored 20+ points in a single game.

(End of this chapter)