Basketball miracles

Chapter 62 [Growing Bigger and Stronger, Creating New Glory]

During his vacation, Xiao Tu treated his coaching staff and teammates to a meal at a high-end Western restaurant. Everyone was welcome to bring their families and girlfriends; it was a pleasant and enjoyable time to eat and chat.

Xiao Tu's reason for treating everyone was simple: "I just signed a big contract, and the first thing that came to mind was treating everyone to a meal. I'm the youngest in the team, and there are many things I don't know. I just want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their help during this time..."

In China, almost everyone who works a regular job knows a bit about drinking etiquette and can exchange pleasantries. This is an essential skill for entering the workforce; otherwise, it's difficult to get promoted or receive a raise.

However, most Black people in the United States don't understand these things; they grew up in a gang culture.

Coach Pat Riley thought to himself, "Wow."

You're not being immature at all; you're being far too sensible.

Compared to you, it's those old guys who are clueless.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar never invited his teammates to meals, he didn't like talking to them, and he was introverted and aloof.

Magic Johnson always has a smile on his face. He signs autographs for fans, shakes hands and hugs opponents, and attends parties. But he rarely makes empty promises to boost team morale and prefers to go out and have fun on his own during holidays.

Riley felt that Xiao Tu was a lot like Jerry West when they played basketball back then. They both took care of their teammates' feelings and had good relationships with everyone.

Back in the day, West was the most respected player on the Lakers, and more reliable than Elgin Baylor in the locker room. Even when Chamberlain joined the Lakers, it was to ride on his coattails; everyone knew West was the team's leader.

After retiring, West continued to work for the Lakers, where he was respected by the team as head coach, scout, and general manager.

Magic Johnson, born in 1959, is six years older than Xiao Tu and lacks self-discipline, so he will definitely retire much earlier than Xiao Tu. Riley estimates that Xiao Tu will become the Lakers' leader before Johnson retires.

He felt that Johnson could play however he wanted when he was young, but his physical condition would likely decline after he turned 30. That "rainbow tactic" would ruin him sooner or later.

The Lakers' training intensity was not high on the second day, and everyone was in good condition due to a good balance of work and rest.

Riley implemented extensive rotations during the regular season, and the Lakers haven't had any serious injuries this season. The Lakers are currently at their strongest, the envy of all teams.

The Atlanta Hawks envy the Lakers the most, as they were plagued by injuries and had a bad start to the season.

The two teams met, and the outcome of the game was never in doubt. The Lakers defeated the Hawks 135-100 at home.

肖途的数据抢眼，出战35分钟砍下了21分22篮板4助攻3抢断6盖帽，命中率高达70%。

With starting power forward Clive Lewinston injured, the Hawks' interior defense has been terrible, and nobody is good at rebounding.

Today, the Hawks' leading rebounder was star small forward Dominique Wilkins, who is 201cm tall and weighs 100kg, averaging 6.6 rebounds per game.

Xiao Tu was matched up against Kevin Willis, the 11th overall pick in this year's draft, who is 213cm tall and weighs 100kg.

Xiao Tu had a clear physical advantage and completely disregarded Willis. Willis was quite athletic, but he was too thin and couldn't maintain his balance during any physical contact.

Xiao Tu delivered four powerful dunks throughout the game, three of which were fast breaks where he shook off Willis.

On the defensive end, Xiao Tu made Wilkins, who had not yet earned the nickname "Human Highlight Film," look disheveled, giving him 4 big blocks.

Xiao Tu had checked the information and found that Wilkins would be very famous in the future. He was not only a two-time dunk contest champion, but also a nine-time NBA All-Star, a scoring champion, an All-NBA First Team selection, and an All-NBA Second Team selection several times.

When they met in the match, Xiao Tu felt that Wilkins' strength was really average, and he was just a stat padder.

Wilkins has never won a championship; his best result was reaching the second round of the playoffs.

His playing style is simple: he uses his strong physique to dribble and attack, and he can force his way through to the basket under physical contact, often putting on a spectacular dunk.

This guy is nominally a small forward, but his playing style is similar to Xiao Tu's—both rely on physical domination to overpower opponents. His technique isn't outstanding, but it's practical; slow and weak players can't defend against him.

Because his jump shot isn't very good, his shooting percentage isn't high; he's never averaged 50% in a single season. Wilkins doesn't have a significant physical advantage against James Worthy, and he's also shorter. The Hawks' interior players lack offensive capabilities, so Xiao Tu can actively help his teammates on defense and try to block drives from the side.

Wilkins' multiple layups were blocked by Xiao Tu, and he only completed one dunk the entire game, which, although beautiful, was done when Xiao Tu was resting on the bench.

Xiao Tu's scoring efficiency is much higher than Wilkins', with a field goal percentage exceeding 60%. Wilkins' field goal percentage has dropped this season to only 45%.

Wilkins is currently averaging a career-high 27 points per game. This seems like a good number for his third season, but the Hawks are only seventh in the Eastern Conference and have a slightly better winning percentage than the Bulls.

Moreover, due to injuries, it's only a matter of time before the Hawks are overtaken by the Bulls; making the playoffs at the end of the season would be a good result.

Wilkins should have seen a surge in popularity due to his spectacular dunks, but now, compared to Xiao Tu, his windmill dunks seem rather unremarkable.

Which is prettier, the windmill made by a handsome young man or the windmill made by a round-faced, muscular man?

Is that even a question? Round-faced, dark-skinned, muscular men aren't good-looking no matter what they do. Otherwise, Morpheus would be the savior in The Matrix, and there would be no need for Neo.
Xiao Tu performed better, but he wasn't arrogant or complacent. He also saw his own shortcomings in Wilkins, particularly his poor passing awareness.

I need to improve my passing. If I play like Wilkins, even with a high shooting percentage, I still have weaknesses.

He always chose to force his way to the basket when he drove to the rim, and he couldn't pass the ball out, which is why I blocked his shots so many times.

A true core player shouldn't be like this, I can't be like this. My dribbling skills aren't even as good as his; I just have better physical attributes and a better jump shot.

In a post-game interview, Xiao Tu attributed his high shooting percentage to Magic Johnson's excellent passing and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's ability to draw the opponent's defensive attention in the low post.

Magic Johnson's passing was indeed excellent, and he also scored a lot of points in this game, with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 16 assists, dominating the Hawks' 188cm point guard Eddie Johnson.

A provocative reporter deliberately asked Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, "Shaw's shoe contract with Adidas is much larger than yours. What are your thoughts on that?"

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn't fooled. He calmly replied, "I signed a contract a long time ago, so my situation is different from his. I'm not thinking about these things right now. I just want to play at a high level and help the Lakers win the championship."

Xiao Tu breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's words. He hoped for a smooth transition to become the core of the frontcourt and didn't want any controversy.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was self-aware and not as greedy as most Black people.

He's nearing retirement, so he doesn't expect to sign another lucrative endorsement deal. Furthermore, his shoe sales are poor, and he hasn't contributed much to Adidas's business, leaving him with a lack of confidence.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's biggest concern was how many championships he could win before retiring. If the Lakers won this year, it would be his fourth title, not enough. He hoped to win at least six before retiring, so that his historical standing might surpass that of Bill Russell.

Therefore, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar didn't dislike Xiao Tu at all. The better Xiao Tu performed, the greater the Lakers' chances of winning the championship. So what if his stats were good in the previous two seasons? He gave it his all but still lost, and he was very restless both on and off the court.

Major media outlets have been reporting on the game, and some basketball experts believe that the Lakers will definitely break the NBA regular season win record this season. The Lakers currently appear invincible, leading the standings by a wide margin.

"The Lakers have no weaknesses. They not only have star players, but also at least five players scoring in double figures every game, with multiple players contributing. Since Sebastian Shaw joined, he has significantly improved the Lakers' interior defense, and no team has yet gained an advantage in the paint. It's normal for them to achieve 70+ wins. There are only four teams that can pose a threat to the Lakers: the Celtics, 76ers, Bucks, and Nuggets."

The Pistons were ruled out by experts because they believed that center Bill Laimbeer alone couldn't withstand the inside combination of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shawn Doug.

The Lakers' Big Three are consistently contributing over 60 points per game, and with a few more points from their role players, they easily break the 100 mark. To beat the Lakers, you must contain their offense.

The Lakers' home games have been consistently sold out, and some fans have begun discussing the possibility of the Lakers breaking the 33-game winning streak record.

常规赛69胜13负的战绩记录、33连胜的记录，都是湖人队在1971-72赛季创造的。

The Lakers boasted legendary stars like Jerry West, Wilt Chamberlain, and Gail Goodrich, and current coach Pat Riley was also among them. That season, the Lakers were unstoppable and ultimately won the championship.

Now, Lakers fans all hope that the Lakers will grow bigger and stronger and create new glories.

(End of this chapter)