Basketball miracles

Chapter 51 [Character Determines Destiny]

At the Lakers' post-game press conference, reporters' cameras and microphones were all pointed at Xiao Tu. One microphone was so forceful it almost gave him a deep throat...

The underdog defeated the number one draft pick, and by a large margin. Xiao Tu not only outperformed Hakeem Olajuwon, but also seemed to outperform his star teammates.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the Lakers' primary scorer, but many believe Xiao Tu's tactical role is even more significant. The Lakers primarily employ pick-and-roll tactics in every game, with star players taking a secondary role in isolation plays; Xiao Tu's ability to create open spaces is indispensable.

Xiao Tu's rebounding numbers are more than double that of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Without him, the Lakers' rebounding efficiency would immediately plummet to the bottom five in the league. He also leads the Lakers in blocks, covering a wider defensive range, while Abdul-Jabbar is limited to guarding the paint.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar also struggled defensively in the paint. He often didn't jump when guards drove to the basket, allowing easy layups.

Xiao Tu's rookie season scoring average surpassed Magic Johnson's, and his stats continued to rise. From any perspective, he is one of the Lakers' core players, not just a piece of the championship puzzle.

In comparison, Kurt Rambis's reputation has been declining, and he bears significant responsibility for the Lakers' championship loss last season. As the Lakers' starting power forward, he was undoubtedly one of the worst starters in the entire league.

Xiao Tu shared his thoughts, saying, "My victory over Olajuwon was expected; it was a team victory, and our roster has better depth. If I had to face him for the entire game, we would both have had a tough time; his individual ability is extremely strong."

A Rockets beat reporter asked, "Why don't you take the ball and attack Olajuwon? He attacked you with the ball many times."

Xiao Tu smiled and said, "I think that's why my shooting percentage is higher. Basketball isn't a one-on-one game. I like to cooperate with my teammates. It's a team game, believe it or not."

Comparing their individual abilities, Hakeem Olajuwon is definitely better. He excels in both face-up and back-to-the-basket moves, has shooting range and footwork, and possesses very solid fundamentals.

However, Xiao Tu wouldn't admit that his individual ability was inferior to his opponent's, but he also subtly implied that Hakeem Olajuwon was a player who was selfish on the court.

I like to cooperate and I like to play off the ball, is that wrong?
Anyway, my data is great, and those who disagree can check the data themselves.

Only an idiot would dribble the ball and forcefully attack the opponent's strong defensive points, especially since that's not my job on the team. Why would I want to make things difficult for myself?

Xiao Tu will never admit that someone with no track record but only statistics is better than him. If a reporter asks, he doesn't mind subtly referring to his opponents as "cancer."

Whether Hakeem Olajuwon will be angry or not is not important.

Xiao Tu's goal was to dominate Hakeem Olajuwon from the moment he entered the league until Olajuwon retired, keeping him firmly under his thumb. This treatment applied to all his opponents, whether inside or outside.

Character determines fate.

Xiao Tu's rise to power was incredibly rapid, mainly due to his strong personality, in addition to his exceptional physical abilities.

Whether it's ball possession or popularity, he fights for it whenever he can, and if he can't, then so be it. Even a soft-hearted person, even if they traveled through time, couldn't do what he did.

Some people are inherently timid and cowardly, utterly incapable of being a leader, not even daring to dream of it. Let alone being allowed to time-travel themselves, they'd think even reading novels would make it impossible for the protagonist to defeat a godlike Black Father.

If this kind of guy joined the Lakers as a power forward, he might even volunteer to play guard, helping Magic Johnson easily grab defensive rebounds and initiate fast breaks, striving to help him achieve triple-double averages like Westbrook. If possible, he could also help Magic Johnson avoid AIDS and assist him in becoming the greatest player in NBA history; both of them would be fulfilled.

Xiao Tu particularly likes to praise Johnson's selflessness, and this match was no exception.

"He is always selfless and perfectly embodies what the best point guard is. I think if he took more shots, he could easily average 20 points per game, and he might even score no less than Larry Bird. But he is willing to reduce his shot attempts and sacrifice scoring stats to connect the whole team, which makes it easier for us to win games."

This is called rhetoric. Xiao Tu pleased his teammates while also gaining personal benefits.

Everyone felt that Xiao Tu was very sincere and genuinely grateful for Johnson's help. Considering his age, he certainly wasn't saying that just to get more playing time.

In fact, Xiao Tu sincerely hopes that Johnson will always maintain his current playing style, averaging less than 15 field goal attempts per game. An unselfish Johnson is the best; don't practice shooting, just give him the offensive burden.

If Xiao Tu had joined the Celtics, he would be incredibly frustrated right now. He needs to find a new team or teammates as soon as possible; he simply can't stand Larry Bird for even a year.

Since his transmigration, he has never idolized any basketball stars who have made their mark in history. If someone has too little ball possession, he sees them as an obstacle. His mentality is like this: "You, with your trashy, floor-bound physique, still dare to take more than twenty shots per game? Why don't you just die?"

Some people are sycophants in any era, unable to resist fawning over others and accustomed to feeling inferior.

Some people only want to be the boss; they are ruthless and ambitious, and they will feel uncomfortable even if they are only second to one person.

A reporter asked Xiao Tu about his love life. "Are you dating Madonna Ciccone?"

Xiao Tu smiled and nodded: "Yes, many entertainment media outlets have reported on it these past two days." The reporter asked: "How did you two meet?"

"We met just two days ago. She invited me to film her music video, and we got along very well."

The reporter became interested: "You've only known each other for two days?"

"Well, actually, you don't have to know someone for a long time to like them. We all believe in love at first sight. Marty (nickname) is a very charming woman, and I feel very lucky to be with her."

A female reporter asked, "Did you stay at her house? What have you been doing these past two days?"

Xiao Tu was stunned for a moment.

What can I do at home? She's the only woman here.

"I stayed at her house, but I can't reveal the details." Xiao Tu didn't say much, as it was their private matter.

He went public with their relationship, and Madonna didn't hide it in her interviews either; they had planned to collaborate on a publicity stunt at home.

They got together, and a high-profile relationship can boost their popularity, so why not?

Xiao Tu was secretly pleased; he knew he couldn't possibly find a celebrity girlfriend in this world more famous than Madonna.

He really liked Michelle Pfeiffer's looks, but unfortunately she was already married. Jodie Foster and Diane Lane (Martha), who were around the same age, were quite famous, but he didn't like their appearances. And his favorite peer, a high-end version of PAPI Jiang, was in France, so he had no chance to meet her.

On the Rockets' side, Hakeem Olajuwon also gave an interview to share his thoughts.

He looked annoyed and spoke in a volatile tone, immediately expressing his envy of the Lakers' roster, leading one to suspect that he had a major problem with his teammates.

The Rockets' roster depth is indeed lacking, but it's definitely not good for a rookie to say something like that.

When reporters asked Hakeem Olajuwon to comment on Xiao Tu, he mumbled a lot of "uh-huhs" and "ah-ahs," his vocabulary was limited and he repeated himself many times, making it sound like he hadn't said anything at all.

When a reporter asked Hakeem Olajuwon to comment on his teammates, he spoke in the same style, appearing impatient and rambling on and on.

Reporters lost interest in Hakeem Olajuwon; his communication skills were appalling, bordering on insanity. He seemed uncultured; he probably just played basketball in college and didn't study at all.

Xiao Tu didn't know what Olajuwon said, but if he had heard it, he would have thought it was perfectly normal.

Hakeem Olajuwon will likely continue to face this problem in the future. He rarely gives interviews after retiring, and is even less likely to work as a commentator. Perhaps his personality isn't the low-key person people praise, but rather uninteresting; he never produced a single truly memorable joke in his entire life.

Xiao Tu only knew one meme about Hakeem Olajuwon, and it was a negative one.

After retiring, Hakeem Olajuwon opened a training camp to teach the "Dream Shake," characterized by its exorbitant fees and the fact that few people could learn it. Many people thought he couldn't teach it, while others considered it a classic case of fraud, a case of someone packaging personal physical talent as a technical skill to scam people.

Hakeem Olajuwon's theory of using his back to his opponent to feel his center of gravity and then faking out them is really based on his superior physical abilities. He was only good at the Dream Shake when he was young; as he got older, it became a joke. He was too slow to turn and couldn't get past his defender, and when he got to the basket, he kept getting blocked.

That evening, major media outlets showered Xiao Tu with praise, believing he was even better than the number one draft pick. This was because he won the game, had a higher scoring efficiency, and was younger than Hakeem Olajuwon.

The last point is particularly crucial: Xiao Tu has the potential to become even stronger, while Olajuwon doesn't have much room for improvement anymore.

The Rockets' management and Houston fans are quite satisfied, as Hakeem Olajuwon is scoring more points in the NBA than in the NCAA, which is already a pleasant surprise.

Many media outlets also mentioned Xiao Tu's eloquence; he always performed very well in interviews and could create big news.

The Lakers selected a number one draft pick-caliber center with the last pick of the first round, which is more newsworthy than a number one draft pick center putting up 20+10 numbers.

Major media outlets only mentioned Hakeem Olajuwon briefly, without bothering to comment, demonstrating a discriminatory treatment.

There's nothing to comment on. He's neither handsome nor has a celebrity girlfriend, and he even lost the game. Who cares about him?

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(End of this chapter)