Basketball miracles

Chapter 246 [Battle Against the Three-Headed Monster]

The Timberwolves players arrived in Miami early on the 7th and checked into their hotel.

This is a terrible stretch of the Timberwolves' schedule, with consecutive back-to-back road games in the Eastern Conference.

Kevin Garnett, nicknamed "The Wolf King," was furious when he saw the news of Xiao Tu signing with Adidas the next morning. "Damn Adidas! Giving such a big contract to a rookie, why are they so stingy with me?"

All star athletes care a lot about shoe endorsement contracts, not just because they make money, but also because they are a symbol of popularity and status.

Garnett has the largest basketball contract among players, but his shoe endorsement contracts are relatively small, which has become a thorn in his side.

Garnett initially signed with Nike, then with And 1 Shoes, before finally choosing Adidas as his third choice.

Each time a contract is signed, neither the company nor Garnett himself discloses the contract amount. If it were an astronomical contract, neither party would keep it a secret. It's clear that Garnett is too vain and doesn't want people to know that his contract is far lower than those of other popular stars.

Xiao Tu not only outbid Garnett in endorsement contracts, but also took a jab at him when asked about the game. Garnett, who didn't dislike Xiao Tu initially, has now reached his breaking point.

Garnett vowed today to teach Xiao Tu a lesson he wouldn't forget.

Some people still don't know who the boss of Adidas is!

Although it wasn't me... I'm still a top-three player.

Before the game started, a local reporter interviewed Garnett, who had just arrived at the arena. There is usually a trash-talking session before important games.

Garnett's expression was gloomy; he neither praised Xiao Tu's triple-double nor his leadership skills.

"Of course I'm confident of winning. Our defense isn't as bad as the Mavericks'. Tracy (McGrady) is also a super scorer. If we could stop him yesterday, we can stop Shaw today."

Garnett thought for a moment and added, "The Heat are a strong team, and they're well-rested today, so they'll be a tough opponent. We're playing back-to-back games, so our schedule is quite difficult, but we're different from last season, and we're definitely stronger now."

It is said that Garnett earned the respect and love of his teammates and fans with his humble, low-key personality and helpful nature. Aside from his habit of pounding his chest and roaring after a dunk, he was mostly unassuming.

He was a bit cocky today, because yesterday he led his team to a 100-71 away victory over the Magic, and the team's morale was high!
Garnett had a standout performance with 21 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists. He feels the Timberwolves will definitely make a breakthrough in their record this season and will not fall in the first round of the playoffs again, so they can be a little more confident.

The Timberwolves received countless praises yesterday, with Garnett dominating the paint!
主场作战的麦迪只出战27分钟就带头放弃了比赛，10投2中，三分球3中0，得到4分6篮板3助攻，还有3次失误。

Actually, the Magic's vulnerability was mainly due to McGrady's actions; he deliberately tanked to force a change in management.

He was dissatisfied with the team's roster, unhappy with the management's summer trades, and wanted star teammates to support him. He also wanted to get rid of head coach Doc Rivers, and he was almost ready to say it to the media.

Unfortunately, McGrady's plan was doomed to fail. It wasn't that the Magic's general manager didn't want to make a trade, but rather that the team had Grant Hill, which locked up their salary cap space.

Hill is either undergoing surgery or on his way to surgery, so he can't be traded and is stuck with the Magic.

After the Heat arrived at the arena, a reporter who was with the team interviewed Xiao Tu, asking him to predict the outcome of the game.

Xiao Tu was clearly more confident. "The Heat will win, there's no doubt about it. Our morale is high, our stamina is high, and our star players have stronger individual abilities."

The reporter asked, "Who is the star player you're talking about?"

"Is that even a question? It's me." Xiao Tu said succinctly, smiling as he entered the stadium with his teammates.

He didn't list any two players to compare with the opposing team's three-headed monster, nor did he intentionally praise his teammates. Since the media and fans all believe the Heat are a one-man team, then let's just assume that's the case.

Sheng Mien, fight against Mien.

It's definitely not a good thing for him to praise his teammates too much.

In the home team's locker room, Pat Riley's morale-boosting approach was simple: he told the players to give the ball to Xiao Tu on offense, emphasizing a core-centric style of play.

Everyone knows that Xiao Tu said before the game that he would definitely win. He was confident of winning, and so were the others.

If the Heat lose, the media will only say that Xiao Tu was embarrassed; if they win, Xiao Tu will be happy to share the credit after the game.

The defensive tactic is man-to-man marking, so Xiao Tu's task on the defensive end will be easy, dealing with role players. The task of guarding Garnett will be assigned to Odom, whose physique is the most suitable.

Both teams' players entered the game on time, and Xiao Tu's popularity soared even higher, with many female fans expressing their love and screaming in the audience.

Female fans, after seeing the news, learned that Xiao Tu was a handsome, aloof man, and felt he was too unconventional, a complete waste of his talent. Xiao Tu's "lotus incarnation" buff was also in effect, making him incredibly attractive to the opposite sex and prone to attracting unwanted romantic attention. Now, countless women in America want to have a relationship with him.

With such a stark contrast, Xiao Tu has become a global sensation, attracting attention from international fans.

Xiao Tu is playing at home for the first time since scoring a 60+ triple-double, and Heat fans already consider him the greatest player in franchise history.

During the live broadcast of the game on TNT, when introducing the lineups of both teams, Barkley talked about Alonzo Mourning.

"I think Mourning must be very frustrated right now. He joined the Nets in hopes of winning a championship, but the Nets started the season with a 3-3 record, which is worse than the Heat's."

Kenny Smith said, "Mourning is not in good physical condition, so the Nets still have to start Jason Collins, who is shorter than Mourning, even though he is overstating his height."

Barkley said, "Shaw signed a record-breaking shoe endorsement deal, and his comments at the press conference were impressive. If the Heat beat the Timberwolves today, he'll be a top contender for the regular season MVP."

Smith laughed and said, "I think he's already the top favorite. Even if the team's record is a little worse, he still has a chance to be selected as the MVP. Because his stats are the best, he could win both the scoring title and the assist title at the same time."

During the players' warm-up, Xiao Tu habitually sized up the opposing team's star players.

They truly deserve to be called "three-headed monsters"—they look so strange.

Garnett has long limbs, a long neck, and a long face, making him look like the kind of person who isn't good at physical confrontations, but his expression is very tough.

Just like his nickname, "Madman" Sprewell's appearance is such that it's hard to say how many men would accept having twin ponytails, but he certainly did.

The most outrageous one is Sam Cassell, this guy is practically an alien, he looks like E.T.

Sam Cassell is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. Despite putting up star-level numbers for multiple seasons with the Bucks, he failed to make the All-Star team. His All-Star votes were pitifully low, and coaches were reluctant to include an "alien" (Cassell's nickname) in their bench selections.

The Timberwolves' star players also glanced at Xiao Tu discreetly, and without prior arrangement, they all turned their heads away after just one look.

As for his looks, there's not much to say... he's certainly not ugly. But the news keeps praising his unparalleled appearance, which is a bit annoying.

Heat starters: Wade, Eddie Jones, Xiao Tu, Odom, Brian Grant.

Timberwolves starting lineup: Sam Cassell, Sprewell, Mark Madsen, Garnett, Michael Olavokandi.

Odom won the jump ball, and the game began.

Garnett wasn't in charge of the jump ball; he was playing small forward today, and the coach assigned him to guard Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu received the ball, dribbled once, and passed it to Wade in the middle with a bounce pass. Wade received the ball, took three steps, and attempted a layup under pressure from Cassell, but missed. Cassell is a tall point guard at 191cm, and he can physically challenge Wade.

The Heat's offense wasn't over yet. Xiao Tu passed the ball and sprinted straight to the basket, racing Garnett and grabbing the offensive rebound. Madsen was guarding Odom, so the ball didn't bounce towards him.

Madsen, nicknamed "Mad Dog," is 206cm tall and weighs 109kg. He primarily plays power forward and his wingspan is not particularly outstanding.

After landing, Xiao Tu did not attempt a second attack, but passed the ball directly to Wade on the perimeter.

Xiao Tu didn't want to force a shot against someone half a head taller than him, with Garnett right behind him waiting to block his shot. Wade didn't shoot again, passing to Odom, who had moved out to the middle, to facilitate the offense.

After passing the ball, Xiao Tu stood on the right baseline for a moment, then made an off-ball run from the left side to the three-point line. Grant set a screen for Garnett off-ball.

Garnett is 211cm tall with a 226cm wingspan and is known for his exceptional mobility, capable of playing all five positions. However, despite his mobility, he is still a big man and is more easily screened than guards, requiring time to get around screens.

Odom seized the opportunity and passed the ball to Xiao Tu. Xiao Tu caught the ball, turned around, and made a fadeaway jump shot in one smooth motion, gently swinging his right leg forward with a graceful and elegant movement.

Standing at 213cm and weighing 122kg, "Sugar Man" Olavokandi is a notorious draft bust. He only knows how to defend and block shots near the paint, and he doesn't defend pick-and-rolls at all.

Xiao Tu anticipated that his opponent wouldn't be able to block the shot, his shooting rhythm was perfect, and the ball swished through the net! 3-0.

When Xiao Tu returned to defend, he had a smile on his face and was even more confident.

If the Timberwolves want to win, the coach can't let Olavokandi play; this weakness is too obvious.

(End of this chapter)