Basketball miracles

Chapter 30 [Garen and Tahm Kench]

The staff notified the players to come out on time, but the Lakers fans treated the Bulls players like they weren't there, offering no applause whatsoever. Xiao Tu, however, received a thunderous round of applause upon his entrance, demonstrating his immense popularity.

Not just in Los Angeles, Xiao Tu's popularity currently surpasses Jordan's throughout North America.

In terms of statistics, Xiao Tu scored fewer points than Jordan, but his rebounding numbers were far ahead, and his performance on both offense and defense was recognized by experts.

The Bulls' overall defense was poor, and Jordan focused most of his energy on offense, so their defense was at least not leaky.

In terms of dunks, Xiao Tu leads the league in dunks this season, with his windmill dunks and powerful slam dunks being constantly discussed. Jordan, on the other hand, simply jumped very high; his dunks lacked variety and were fewer in number.

In terms of image, he's really unfair to Jordan. If this were League of Legends, they'd be like Garen and Tahm Kench being compared.

Xiao Tu is widely recognized as the most handsome man in the NBA, attracting a large number of female fans.

Looking at Jordan now, he's... well...

Standing at 198cm tall and weighing 88kg, Jordan was not only dark-skinned and thin, but also had frizzy hair.

He was going to be a shampoo spokesperson in the future, but he started going bald in 1988, and got balder year by year. In 90, he simply shaved his head, and that's how his classic bald image began.

In addition, Jordan liked to stick his tongue out while playing, which many fans found disgusting.

In this parallel universe, Jordan didn't start looking handsome until the 90s, after leading the Bulls to an NBA championship. After establishing a dynasty, he became the most handsome Black man on Earth, with striking features, a resolute gaze, and a heroic aura.

Before winning the championship, Jordan was mostly criticized as a "cancer" and a "stat padder," having absolutely nothing to do with being "handsome." Later, a player named Jimmy Butler looked a lot like Jordan, and at the age of 13, he was kicked out of his home by his mother because she thought he was too ugly.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman are an unchanging truth.

As long as a man is successful in his career, even if he looks like a gorilla and his face is shaped like a toilet bowl, there will still be a group of people praising him as a handsome man.

During the players' warm-up, commentator Tom Heinson said, "This is the first time the two most popular rookies of the season are facing off. Hopefully, they will both put up impressive numbers, which will make the game more exciting."

Jordan's teammate Dick Stockton said, "It will be very difficult for Jordan to break through the Lakers' defense and score high points today, so Shaw's stats shouldn't be bad. I think the key is whether Shaw can continue to put up super numbers; the Bulls' rebounding is among the worst in the league."

Many fans watching the live stream shared a similar view, believing that Xiao Tu's rebound count today would definitely not be less than 20.

Heinson said, "Jordan's skills are more comprehensive, and he was responsible for ball-handling offense in his rookie season. Shaw mainly plays off-ball. I think they each have their strengths."

Stockton said, "The Bulls' roster depth is lacking. Jordan leads the team in four categories: points, rebounds, assists, and steals. He also ranks second on the team in blocks, averaging 0.8 per game."

Heinson laughed and said, "Shaw's rebounding and block stats rank first on the Lakers, and he's second in scoring, only behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. They are both geniuses among geniuses and will be selected for the All-Star game."

Xiao Tu mainly practiced shooting, and this morning he practiced three-pointers extra in order to do well in this game.

To others, Jordan was just an outstanding rookie. But Xiao Tu saw this game as having special significance, because in this parallel world, Jordan was the greatest player in NBA history.

Jordan won five regular season MVPs, six NBA championships, six Finals MVPs, and ten scoring titles in his career. Whether comparing statistics or individual accolades, he is the best.

Bill Russell did win more championships, but the championships of the 60s are not as prestigious. Few people will compare Russell to Jordan in the future; those who do are mostly old-school enthusiasts who think Jordan is inferior to Chamberlain.

Xiao Tu's key to becoming the greatest player in NBA history lies in whether he can defeat Jordan. He started his career with the Lakers at a very high level, winning from the start. If he still can't beat the 90s Bulls... then Pippen was simply too powerful.

Xiao Tu led the Lakers into the 90s, which means he opened many silver treasure chests or even higher-level treasure chests. How could Jordan possibly be his opponent in a one-on-one match?
Before the players took the field, Riley reiterated the tactics and made some adjustments to the starting lineup.

Magic Johnson and Xiao Tu will primarily run pick-and-rolls, with the two big men focusing on inside-outside passing and plays. There are no specific tactical plans for the shooting guard and small forward; they will spread out, wait for opportunities to receive the ball and shoot, and participate in fast breaks. Lakers starting lineup: Johnson, Michael Cooper, James Worthy, Xiao Tu, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Bulls starting lineup: Enes Witley, Michael Jordan, Orlando Ulrich, Steve Johnson, Duff Korsin.

Cooper is the Lakers' perimeter defense specialist. When the opponent has a super scorer on the perimeter, Riley will start him and let Johnson guard the player who is less offensively capable.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won the jump ball due to his height and wingspan, giving the Lakers the first possession. Kelsen is a floor-bound white center with no special skills other than his 211cm height.

The Lakers players spread out, and Xiao Tu set a screen for Johnson outside the three-point line, blocking the 191cm tall Witley.

威特利1983年选秀大会首轮第13顺位被国王选中，交易到了公牛。他在新秀赛季打出两场20+助攻的表现，场均8.4分8.3助攻1.5抢断。

He had a promising future, but unfortunately, he was led astray by the team's senior players and became addicted to drugs, reaching his peak right from the start. This season, his performance has declined significantly, averaging only 5 points and 5.2 assists per game, making him merely a pseudo-starter.

Witley was a little too slow to get around the screen, and Johnson dribbled past the defender on the right, drawing the help of power forward Steve. He then passed the ball behind his back with his right hand to Xiao Tu, who was cutting through the middle.

Xiao Tu received the ball, leaped up, and powerfully slammed it down with one hand to score! 2-0.

After landing, Xiao Tu pounded his chest with one hand and roared, and the Lakers fans cheered and applauded!
Stockton exclaimed, "Beautiful! Shaw delivered his signature dunk right at the start! Kelsen was too slow to help defend!"

Heinson said, "Even Korzin couldn't defend that shot under the basket. Shaw's speed on the cut was too fast, and his jumping ability was far superior to Korzin's."

Xiao Tu took the initiative, boosting the Lakers' morale at home.

He high-fived Magic Johnson on his way back on defense, and the two were getting better and better at playing together. Whenever they ran a pick-and-roll and attacked the basket together, no team could stop them, because the center had to leave Kareem Abdul-Jabbar open if he wanted to help on defense.

Xiao Tu's assists all came about using this pattern: attracting help defense and passing the ball close to the basket to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who could easily score.

In the Bulls' half-court offense, point guard Wittley passed the ball to Jordan as soon as he crossed half-court, while he spread out on the perimeter.

The Bulls' offensive tactics were so simple that they could be described as having no tactics at all. Their two main scorers took turns dribbling and attacking one-on-one, while the others waited for an opportunity to receive the ball and shoot.

Coach Lengley's mind is blank; he doesn't know how to direct role players' movements and only knows how to exploit loopholes in the rules.

Center Kelsen and point guard Waitley, both without shooting range, were stretching out beyond the three-point line. The two Lakers players had to follow them out and maintain a certain distance, otherwise it would be a defensive violation.

If the NBA were to play according to future rules, a simple zone defense to shut down the paint would guarantee a win against the Bulls. They have no three-point shooting options, only three players who can consistently hit a mid-range shot, and their interior players aren't good at rebounding.

Jordan faced the basket and attempted a one-on-one, but Michael Cooper tightly guarded him. Cooper, despite his slender build, showed no fear of contact and was adept at using his agility and speed for tenacious, close-marking defense.

His defense was effective most of the time because Riley assigned him to guard very thin opponents, rather than sending him to face much stronger, more physically imposing men.

Jordan's face-up drive failed, so he passed the ball to a teammate on the perimeter and then ran to the left low post to receive the ball with his back to the basket. He received the ball, leaned against Cooper, turned and fadeaway jumper towards the baseline.

Jordan played like this in his rookie season, but he didn't use the fadeaway jumper as often as he did later, so he didn't develop it into a signature move. Xiao Tu seized the opportunity to leave Steve alone and provided help defense for a block.

Although he didn't block the shot, he jumped much higher than Cooper, severely interfering with Jordan. The ball bounced off the rim, and Magic Johnson grabbed the rebound.

At the start of the game, Xiao Tu targeted Jordan, relaxing his defense on Steve. If Jordan took a long two-pointer or three-pointer, he wouldn't be able to stop him; if Jordan got the ball in the low post and attacked, he would definitely double-team him.

His goal was to prevent Jordan from scoring in the paint, forcing him to only shoot from far away from the basket. He didn't care how many points Steve scored; who would even recognize that kind of nobody?

(End of this chapter)