Basketball miracles

Chapter 13 [Isn't this a coincidence?]

After training began, Xiao Tu stood out the most, delivering several spectacular dunks during the scrimmage.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is getting older and his stamina recovers more slowly. He just goes through the motions in training, and his playing style is soft compared to Xiao Tu. Magic Johnson went clubbing last night and looked a bit weak in the legs, unable to get going with the ball.

Xiao Tu recovered to his best condition by eating grapes without spitting out the grape skins, and with this shift in his performance, he outshone both of the two superstars.

Everyone praised his incredible physical abilities, saying that his recovery speed alone was extraordinary and that they had never seen anything like it before.

Xiao Tu was matched up against Kurt Rambis for an extended period, and the skill gap was enormous, leaving him utterly hopeless. His only option to return to the starting lineup was to switch teams.

Even with his stamina, the 203cm tall Rambis isn't that strong. He can't defend against Xiao Tu, can't score, and can't even grab many rebounds.

Seeing Xiao Tu's relentless effort in daily training, Coach Pat Riley's impression of him improved even more. What coach wouldn't appreciate a player with exceptional talent and self-discipline? Hard work makes success more attainable!

After the routine training session ended, Xiao Tu voluntarily stayed behind for an extra hour to practice three-point shots. No matter what Riley thought, he would always regard the three-point shot as a deadly weapon, a skill that must be mastered.

Even without the aura of shooting practice, he would still practice. The aura was more like an "epiphany," and three hours was too short.

Xiao Tu won't get cocky and think he's a superstar just because of one impressive game's stats. He played well because his on-court tasks were simple. If you asked him to be the leader of a team and control the ball, he definitely wouldn't do it well right now.

He can't be content with just being good at finishing plays and rebounding; he needs to learn to be the leader. He'll be joining the Heat in 2003 to battle the Pistons and the Lakers' "F4," and he wants to surpass Dwyane Wade, who entered the NBA around the same time, to become the Heat's leader.

In short, he must become more well-rounded.

That evening, the Lakers chartered a plane and flew to Seattle.

Xiao Tu found the first-class seat spacious and the journey quite comfortable.

This is also one of the benefits of players joining the Lakers; the team does a very good job in terms of logistics. Many teams only started using charter flights in the 90s. Now, players need to gather at the airport, get their tickets, and board the plane, which takes a lot of time.

Meeting at the airport is considered a privilege by many team owners.

Conditions in the NBA during the 60s were incredibly harsh. Trains, cars, hitchhiking, and buses were all used by players to travel to away games. In some places, players even had to carry maps to avoid getting lost. The travel itself was more of a headache, while playing games was much easier.

The Lakers' second opponent is the SuperSonics, and Lakers fans are all set to watch the game on TV at home. This game is another highlight of this round, attracting a lot of media and fan attention.

The SuperSonics were a strong team last season, a playoff contender, and also had a white power forward who was good at dunking.

Tom Chambers, a white forward standing at 208cm and weighing 100kg, is known for his accurate shooting and powerful dunks. His character is almost identical to Xiao Tu's: a handsome white guy with an explosive playing style, capable of a jump shot with range, and both wearing jersey number 24.

Isn't this a coincidence?
Xiao Tu was a little surprised when he heard about this person; he didn't recognize him. Chambers won't be very famous in the future, and 40 years from now, few fans will talk about him, but right now he's a rising star attracting a lot of attention.

The matchup between two white dunkers was a first in NBA history, so the NBA gave it prominent coverage. Lakers scouts also collected information on Chambers and sent it to Xiao Tu.

钱伯斯生于1959年，1981年进入联盟，上赛季场均砍下18.1分6.5篮板1.6助攻，投篮命中率49.9%。

His stats aren't good enough to be selected for the All-Star game, but his dunks are pretty impressive, though he doesn't have many fancy tricks.

After the opening match, several media outlets compared Xiao Tu and Chambers, generally believing that Xiao Tu had stronger physical attributes.

The reason is simple: Chambers can't replicate Xiao Tu's windmill dunk. Furthermore, Chambers isn't good at rebounding; he never had a game with 20+ rebounds in his first three seasons.

Before the game, a Seattle reporter interviewed Chambers, asking him to share his thoughts on playing against the Lakers' super rookie.

Chambers' disdain was written all over his face as he sneered, "I don't know Sebastian Shaw. If he were really as good as the news says, how come he was only selected 23rd in the first round?"

Xiao Tu's draft position was indeed too low, so low that opponents wouldn't believe he was that good if they didn't play against him. Typically, the 23rd pick in the NBA has a ceiling of being a role player; they won't be heavily developed by coaches, let alone become a star. People's preconceived notions are hard to break, especially in the pre-internet era.

Chambers was the 8th overall pick in the 81 NBA draft. Although he has never been an All-Star, he has faced off against current star power forwards. Last season, he gave the renowned Larry Bird a hard time, which boosted his confidence.

Chambers commented, "I think he just happened to play well in the opening game. How can you judge a player's strength based on just one game? Today I'm going to show him that becoming a star in the NBA isn't that easy."

The reporter asked, "Are you confident in limiting Xiao's performance?"

"The SuperSonics will have a hard time beating the Lakers led by Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but I will never be like the Trail Blazers' second overall pick, who was overshadowed by a low-draft pick who just graduated high school. I will prove it with my actions."

Chambers believes the NBA is a very complex league, and how could a high school student possibly succeed so easily? He probably doesn't even know the difference between playing on the road and at home.

Overbearing arrogance is courting death.

After watching the pre-game interview video, SuperSonics fans were very excited, expecting Chambers to teach the rookie a lesson today. Many people feel that Chambers already has the ability to be selected as a Western Conference All-Star, and Xiao Tu is just lucky, having joined a superstar right after entering the league and being able to score easy baskets.

When they arrived at the home team's locker room, Chambers talked about Xiao Tu with his teammates, treating him as a joke.

Backup center Tim McCormick said, "The media is exaggerating him. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar saying his dunks are like a goat is utter nonsense. I don't believe an 18-year-old can jump higher than Tom."

McCormick is also a white player, and his physical abilities are far inferior to Chambers'. It feels like the other player can fly.

Six-time Western Conference All-Star, renowned white center Jack Hickoma said, "Don't underestimate him. Shaw put up a huge double-double in the opening game. And both of the Lakers' star players and coaches praised him, so he definitely has some talent."

In fact, Hickoma doesn't think Chambers will have the upper hand against Shaw today, as rebounding is his weakness.

Chambers sneered, "I won't underestimate him. I have to crush him today. It doesn't matter if he's a rookie and plays poorly, but it would be embarrassing if I didn't perform as well as him."

Xiao Tu was hyped up by the media as soon as he debuted, which Chambers felt was very unfair, and he was envious and jealous.

He dunked beautifully when he first entered the league, so why doesn't anyone praise him like that? Is it because he was 22 years old when he entered the draft, while Xiao Tu was 18?

Chambers will definitely fight with all his might, but he has underestimated his opponent and has not considered that his strength may be inferior to his opponent's.

It's just that Xiao Tu's age is too deceptive; there are very few players who enter the draft right after graduating high school these days. High school students often don't perform well in the NBA because they lack physical strength, and Xiao Tu has an advantage in this aspect.

When the visiting team players entered the game, the SuperSonics fans gave Xiao Tu the loudest boos. The other Lakers players didn't receive as much booing, just a moderate amount.

This was the first time Xiao Tu had encountered something like this. He felt the pressure, thinking that if he played poorly or too well, the boos from the fans would be even louder today.

Xiao Tu took a few deep breaths, mentally encouraging himself. He needed to stay calm and not panic.

Is this why players have a harder time performing at home than at home? It was my first time in Seattle, my first time playing against the SuperSonics, but the fans were very resentful of me.

It's as if I've done something heinous here, like stealing their wives or killing their fathers.

I'm a cheater, playing against the SuperSonics, and I'm not even facing an All-Star player. What's there to be afraid of?

They should be afraid of me, and they'll only get more afraid! I'll become their nightmare, starting today!
Xiao Tu became more and more confident as he thought about it, and quickly adjusted his mindset.

He firmly believed that as long as he performed at his normal level, he could definitely beat Chambers. Looking at the data, he felt that Chambers was nothing special.

(End of this chapter)