Basketball miracles

Chapter 29 [The Battle for Rookie of the Year]

Xiao Tu rested in Los Angeles for two days, adjusting his body to its best condition and reaching the peak of his desire to win.

His most desired opponent has arrived in Los Angeles. The first confrontation between these two lifelong rivals is a historic moment.

On November 15th, the Lakers hosted a nationally televised game against the Chicago Bulls. Before the game, the NBA's official tagline was "The Rookie of the Year Race!"
Hakeem Olajuwon, the number one draft pick, was unfortunately excluded. His performance at the start of the season was indeed not impressive enough, and the Rockets' Ralph Sampson was more popular, taking away his exposure.

The media prefers players with sensational stories, but Hakeem Olajuwon's low-key and quiet personality lacked headline-grabbing appeal. He became the one most affected by the butterfly effect, even though David Stern had originally intended to promote him alongside Michael Jordan.

Experts predict the outcome and unanimously agree that the Lakers will win and continue their winning streak.

The Lakers are riding high, starting with a 9-game winning streak and aiming for the championship. The Bulls, on the other hand, have a mediocre 3-5 start and have missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year.

Xiao Tu knew that his stats in this match would be excellent, making it a good time to showcase his abilities.

The Bulls' interior defense is extremely weak, putting them at a disadvantage against almost every team. Against the Lakers' star interior players, the Bulls' role players were simply outmatched.

This season, the Bulls' leading rebounder is surprisingly shooting guard Michael Jordan, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. Backup power forward Dave Greenwood ranks second with 6.4 rebounds per game.

Greenwood's performance has declined significantly compared to last season, averaging only 6.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, relegating him to the bench. Last season, he was an outstanding center, averaging 12.2 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Starting power forward Steve Johnson averaged 10 points and 6 rebounds per game, ranking third on the team in rebounds.

These two only look tough in terms of skin color; otherwise, they're incredibly soft. The coach doesn't dare let them play for very long.

Xiao Tu researched online in 2003 and learned that their poor performance was due to drug addiction. Moreover, they were not isolated cases; the Bulls had many drug addicts, and the team needed a major overhaul to achieve success.

These things were later revealed, and Jordan himself said it in an interview.

During a preseason event in Peoria, two Black big men led a drug party in a hotel room. Jordan, who had just joined the team, wanted to talk to his teammates about their game chemistry, but he was stunned when he entered the room. He found almost the entire team there, and then he saw cocaine, marijuana, and women.

Jordan immediately replied, "Dude, you know I'm not getting involved."

A group of people mocked Jordan, calling him an inexperienced rookie, and continued having fun. From that moment on, Jordan understood that from then on, he would probably have to rely on himself.

If Jordan had happily joined the team and broadened his horizons, he might never have won a scoring title, let alone a championship. He would have retired early like many Black players, and gone bankrupt a few years later.

Xiao Tu believed Jordan was telling the truth. He couldn't see these things because the Lakers had a better environment than other teams, and they sent away drug addicts.

How bad has the NBA environment become in recent years? Media reports of someone being arrested for drug possession or drunk driving, someone being sued for adultery and domestic violence against their wife, someone assaulting or being assaulted in a bar – that's most of the NBA news.

Magic Johnson's off-screen scandals are, in comparison, quite clean.

Xiao Tu easily became a star player, mainly because his opponents were too weak. In the 80s, drug use among NBA players was far from uncommon. Media reports suggested that as many as 40% to 75% of players regularly used cocaine.

Larry Bird, a floor-bound white player, averaged double-digit rebounds not because of superior rebounding awareness. Even without drugs and lacking natural talent, he was still better than drug addicts.

With poor interior defense, even Jordan's offensive prowess couldn't carry these self-destructive blue-collar workers.

Interestingly, Jordan was also just a "backup plan" for the Bulls during the draft. With their best big men already selected, Bulls general manager Thorn had no choice but to draft Jordan, even though he preferred Hakeem Olajuwon.

Even though he chose Jordan, Thorne didn't think highly of him.

Thorne admitted in an interview: "If Jordan were seven feet tall, that would be great, but he wasn't that tall. We didn't have any really good centers to choose from. What could we do? Jordan wasn't the savior of the Bulls, and we didn't ask him to be. He was a good scorer, but not a dominant one."

Xiao Tu wasn't very tall, but he was a traditional center, which earned him more attention.

Before the game started, the pressure was entirely on Jordan. In the visiting team's locker room, Jordan sat in a corner with a gloomy face, unwilling to speak to anyone.

He's just a rookie; complaining about his teammates is pointless—he'll suffer in silence. If he "snitches," he'll likely be isolated in the locker room, and the manager isn't going to replace everyone just because of him.

Jordan was very unhappy that his teammates were complacent and didn't care about the results.

Last season, the Bulls only achieved a record of 27 wins and 55 losses. With no major changes to the roster except for the addition of him as the third overall pick, making it to the playoffs would have been a success.

How to beat the Lakers? Jordan couldn't come up with any tactics, so he had to fight tooth and nail.

He thought Byron Scott was easier to deal with, but a one-on-one against James Worthy would be more difficult. The key issue was that today the opposing team had someone even more physically imposing and skilled at help defense, which put him under immense pressure.

Even someone with Jordan's freakish physical attributes thought Sebastian Shaw was insane. Like many others, he seriously suspected the guy wasn't 18 and had falsified his age. How could someone who just graduated high school be more athletic than him?

Jordan couldn't put up 30+20 numbers. He's also three years older than Xiao Tu, putting him at a disadvantage in the Rookie of the Year race.

In the home team's locker room, the Lakers players chatted relaxedly, not taking the Bulls seriously at all.

Opponent? Isn't today just an exhibition match?
The Bulls' core player is actually the third overall pick, who was Worthy's junior from college. Their roster is really terrible.

Magic Johnson looked sleepy, probably out partying at a nightclub last night. Coach Pat Riley noticed but didn't say anything; some people succeed without effort.

Xiao Tu felt that Riley was easy to get along with, completely different from what he had imagined.

Pat Riley began coaching the Lakers in 1981 and was known for his innovative coaching style and elegant demeanor. He led the team to the NBA Finals three times in a row, winning only one championship, without becoming arrogant enough to try to control all the players.

The current Riley doesn't criticize players harshly, but the future him will be different; he'll be a bit obsessed.

In his autobiography, O'Neal wrote: "Riley installed cameras everywhere—on the practice court, in the locker room, even in the bathroom. Riley wanted to know everything. No wonder Wade was so nervous when I first arrived; he was terrified of making a mistake..."

Of course, Riley has always appreciated hard-working players, regardless of the era.

Riley pulled Xiao Tu aside and said, "Seb, today you need to focus on the offensive end, take more shots and fight for offensive rebounds."

Xiao Tu nodded and suggested, "Coach, if possible, I hope my playing time will exceed 40 minutes today."

Riley asked, "You want to compete with Jordan for Rookie of the Year?"

"Of course, why wouldn't I compete? If my stats outscore the Bulls, I'll get a higher rating. If Jordan drives to the basket, I'll help defend him too."

Riley gave him an approving look. "Good! I'll arrange for Irwin to pass you the ball more often."

Riley favors ambitious young players who know what they want and can resolutely move towards their goals. Xiao Tu became a star player shortly after joining the Lakers, which is far superior to those without ambition.

In contrast, James Worthy is excessively low-key, averaging less than 15 points per game in his third season. Worthy seems completely unwilling to improve, never competing or vying for anything, just taking the same number of shots.

Everyone knows that Jordan was Worthy's teammate at North Carolina. Today, facing his former teammate, Worthy still won't ask for the ball. Riley is frustrated; since Xiao Tu joined the team, he's stopped caring about Worthy.

Don't you want to show your skills to the team's core players? Are you, a top draft pick, destined to always play a supporting role?
If you want it, just say so. How am I supposed to know what you want if you don't tell me? Even though you're looking at me very sincerely, you still need to tell me what you want...

Worthy glanced in their direction, then quickly lowered his head again.

(End of this chapter)