Basketball miracles

Chapter 7 [The Fist Hardened]

In competitive sports, being bad is the original sin.

Fans watching the live stream all thought Sam Bowie was terrible, but no one sympathized with him.

Trail Blazers fans are frustrated, believing their second overall pick was wasted. How great would it have been to trade Bowie for the Lakers' number 24?
Valentine's dribble attempt to break through failed, drawing McAdu's help defense before passing the ball to Thompson for a layup. 60-40.

At his peak, McAdu primarily played center, a superb stretch big man who averaged 30+ points per game for three consecutive seasons, showcasing a very well-rounded scoring arsenal. However, he was never a great defender, disliked physical contact, and was known as a "softie."

Last season, Larry Bird was named Finals MVP with an average of 27.4 points and 14 rebounds per game, which was directly related to Kevin McAdu's poor defense.

The Lakers' core players never blame their teammates for their poor defense, after all, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar weren't exactly strong defenders either.

The Lakers' offense flowed smoothly today, maintaining firm control of the game, so conceding a few points didn't matter. Xiao Tu was the Lakers' most aggressive defender, standing out from the crowd.

The Lakers executed the same tactics again in their half-court offense.

After setting a screen, Xiao Tu stood at the three-point line, but this time Johnson didn't pass. Bowie hesitated when switching on defense, and Johnson shook off the guard, gathered the ball, accelerated into the paint, and slammed it home with a one-handed dunk! 62-40.

Stockton laughed, "Another dunk from the Lakers, Shaw and Magic Johnson taking turns performing."

Heinson said, "Bowie had no idea what he was supposed to do and was like a wooden stake on the field."

Stockton said, "Shaw played exceptionally well, unlike a high school rookie. He's the youngest active player, integrated into the team in his first game, and is an excellent player who can contribute immediately."

Some of a player's contributions cannot be reflected in statistics; Xiao Tu is better at drawing the defensive focus.

If Rambis were to play, the opponents' attention would definitely be entirely on Johnson. The only reason to defend Rambis would be due to the illegal defensive rule, requiring them to maintain a certain distance from him.

The Trail Blazers were on offense, and Bowie once again pulled out to set a screen. Xiao Tu left him two steps away, not bothering to care at all.

After receiving the ball at the high post, Bowie gritted his teeth and took a jump shot. Xiao Tu didn't jump, just glanced at it and retreated to the basket to box out, easily grabbing a defensive rebound.

He didn't guess Bowie wouldn't make the shot; rather, with such a large lead, scoring a few more baskets didn't matter. Johnson was currently leading the defensive effort, not wanting the core player to have played enough and not wanting the game to become garbage time too early.

Xiao Tu understood his boss's intention: it was necessary to let his boss fight to his heart's content.

He himself also hopes to play the entire fourth quarter and put up even better stats! A player's salary and status in the basketball world are practically synonymous with their stats; only a fool wouldn't pad their numbers.

After someone spent twenty years racking up stats, they declared they disdained inflating scores in competitions. Because in their eyes, only victory or defeat mattered, not statistics; they preferred to focus their energy on the team's win.

Magic Johnson was indeed excited and attempted a three-pointer from the right perimeter. He had a height advantage over Valentine, but unfortunately, his accuracy was off, and the ball bounced off the rim.

The Trail Blazers were on offense, but Valentine made a crucial mistake. His pass to Drexler in the half-court was too obvious, allowing Cooper to steal the ball and launch a fast break.

Cooper passed to Johnson, and Xiao Tu made a straight run, shaking off Bowie and running down the court. He received a bounce pass from Johnson in the middle, took a leap, and unleashed a powerful right-handed tomahawk dunk, stunning the crowd! 64-40.

Xiao Tu clenched his fists and roared in celebration after a powerful dunk, his arm muscles clearly defined like cast iron, which was very inspiring!

He glided a considerable distance in an arched position, his movements incredibly fluid, making him even more deserving of the title "glider" than Drexler. Another cheer erupted from the stands, the applause lasting for a long time!
It's confirmed: in NBA history, no one has dunked more stylishly than Xiao Tu!
At this moment, Lakers fans felt like Chu Yuxun riding a somersault cloud.

This is so awesome!
Thompson retreated to the basket on defense, but seeing Xiao Tu take off, he didn't dare jump to block him. He knew he couldn't block the shot and would have to foul; forcing a jump to block would likely result in him being knocked away.

This was his second time backing down; the technically skilled inside player was helpless against the powerful man.

Riley led the applause from the sidelines, witnessing the rise of a new star. He believed that as long as Xiao Tu remained healthy, he could very well surpass Moses Malone and become an MVP-caliber interior superstar.

The two are similar in height, but Xiao Tu has stronger physical attributes and amazing talent.

Moses Malone's physical attributes weren't particularly outstanding. He was 208cm tall with a 208cm wingspan, and his hands were very small, barely able to grip the ball with one hand. He was very athletic, but his jump shot was average and he wasn't good at low-post footwork. Malone became a superstar through his aggressive rebounding and hustle, and was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's nightmare. They faced each other in the 1981 playoffs, with Malone averaging 31.3 points and 17.7 rebounds, while Abdul-Jabbar was limited to a mere 46.2% field goal percentage. He led the Rockets to eliminate the defending champion Lakers.

The 1983 NBA Finals was a classic moment for Moses Malone, who led the 76ers to a sweep of the Lakers to win the championship.

Riley believes that as long as Xiao Tu accumulates game experience and practices his basketball skills diligently, he will eventually surpass his predecessors.

If Riley were to voice his opinion, Lakers female fans would think he's too conservative, and that Moses Malone, that coward, doesn't even deserve to be compared to Xiao Tu.

This man was handsome and strong; he was practically a real-life Superman. It's not just in movies that white people can physically surpass Black people.

When it was the Trail Blazers' turn to attack, Stockton was still very excited: "Shaw put on another dunk contest-level dunk! He scored 11 points, three of which were dunks."

Heinson exclaimed, "I can't believe he's only 18 years old. His jumping ability is amazing. I'm optimistic that he'll be selected as a Western Conference All-Star in his rookie season, and his regular season stats will definitely be good."

Stockton said, "He must be very popular, and if his stats are good, he could become the starting forward in the West."

Meanwhile, 42-year-old CEO David Stern was also watching the game live on television at his home in New York.

In 1984, NBA teams were heavily indebted, with 17 out of 23 teams on the verge of bankruptcy. David Stern was appointed NBA Commissioner, taking over from Larry O'Brien in a time of crisis.

Xiao Tu knew that from then on, the NBA would rise to prominence and become a global force. But apart from him, a time traveler, no one was optimistic about the future of the NBA, and Stern was under immense pressure.

A month ago, renowned sports journalist Donald Katz wrote in an article: "Of the four major professional leagues in this country, we are likely to be the first to say goodbye to the NBA, because no one is interested in it anymore."

Stern is most focused on the Lakers and Celtics' performance, believing this year's Finals will again be a Lakers-Celtics showdown. Other teams, in terms of both roster and popularity, are far inferior and won't attract many viewers.

Seeing Xiao Tu's spectacular dunk, Stern got excited.

His fist hardened!

What he saw was a high-quality idol who could represent the NBA: white, with top-notch physical abilities and an excellent image and temperament.

Is this the person sent by God to save the NBA? He's completely different from those Black stars!
Stern felt that Xiao Tu's "severe undervaluation during the draft" was enough to attract attention.

With this young man, how could the NBA not thrive in the future?

Just then, a phone call came in; the staff needed to report the Lakers' opening game ratings to Stern.

Stern picked up the phone, listened for a couple of minutes, and his mouth stretched into a wide grin, like the Joker about to cause trouble for Batman. "The second half ratings broke the new season record? Good, very good!"

The NBA season started yesterday, and the ratings for several games were dismal, including those for Jordan's Bulls, which were negligible.

The Lakers' performance today boosted viewership, much to Stern's relief. At least fans still have a team they like, and there's still hope for the NBA.

“The Magician has found the perfect partner,” Stern remarked. “You’ll be focusing on Sebastian Shaw from now on, and keep me informed.”

This year marks the start of Stern's star-making campaign, where young players he favors will receive preferential treatment in matches.

Without his unscrupulous boasting, the NBA would not have produced so many legendary superstars in the future.

As long as the NBA dares to make claims, people will believe them. For example, Jordan's incredible layup with three seconds of hang time, letting Dan fly for a while... More than 40 years later, people still believe this nonsense.

If this is true, why do referees never call a three-second violation on Jordan when he's in the paint?
As long as Xiao Tu maintains his explosive playing style, he will have many similar legends in the future.

(End of this chapter)