Basketball miracles

Chapter 37 [Training Maniac, Star Referee]

The first thing Xiao Tu did upon returning home was to open the treasure chests to see what good things he could get from the second silver treasure chest.

He activated an advanced physical training aura, lasting eight hours and providing ten times the experience, which he could freely turn on and off.

The advanced aura lasted a long time and provided more experience, which Xiao Tu was very satisfied with. The training aura was very effective, meaning he could master a few more high-difficulty dunks before the All-Star Weekend.

After beating the Bulls, the Lakers didn't have a game for two days, and Xiao Tu was in a state of excitement and willing to spend more time training. He went straight to high intensity, focusing on improving his jumping ability.

He knew he still had room to grow, but his jumping ability seemed unmatched in this era.

In the future, some professional dunkers will have moves so powerful they'll look like they're suspended by wires, completely dominating the NBA. The NBA also has freaks like Zach LaVine, who jumps from just a step in front of the free-throw line and dunks with a between-the-legs hand switch.

Xiao Tu definitely can't do some of the moves from the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest between LaVine and Aaron Gordon now.

The Lakers had a day off and no practice, so Xiao Tu went to the training facility alone and trained like crazy. With the help of a 10x experience buff, he mastered two high-difficulty dunks that he couldn't do before, the kind that would leave people speechless.

The staff reported that manager Jerry West and coach Pat Riley were aware of the situation.

The management felt that Xiao Tu, with his personality, could compete for the title of the greatest player in NBA history, provided he didn't suffer a serious injury and decline significantly. He was exceptionally talented and extremely disciplined, almost a training fanatic.

This season, Gary Vitti became the Lakers' head trainer, responsible for player health and training programs. He also felt that Xiao Tu's training methods were too extreme and needed to be reduced.

Riley decided to tailor a strategy for Xiao Tu, building a Big Three system. James Worthy and Byron Scott, who lack any special skills, will have to stick to supporting roles this season.

Two days later, the Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks at home.

Mavericks head coach Dick Motta boldly opted for an offensive shootout against the Lakers, but of course, he couldn't win. The final score was 133-110, giving the Lakers their 11th consecutive victory.

Xiao Tu was matched up against Sam Perkins, the 206cm tall rookie, and the media brought them up for comparison before the game.

Xiao Tu was only the 23rd pick, yet he managed to crush a series of high draft picks, something the media and fans were delighted to see. He proved with his performance that all the teams' scouts were flawed, collectively misjudging the game this year.

Today, Xiao Tu once again used his physical advantages to overwhelm his opponent.

他出战35分钟，12投8中，三分球2中0，罚球11中9，得到25分17篮板3助攻3盖帽。

Perkins couldn't stop Xiao Tu and quickly got into foul trouble, accumulating 5 fouls by the end of the game. He only played 22 minutes, shooting 2-for-7 for 4 points and 4 rebounds—a truly dismal performance.

With 7 minutes and 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Xiao Tu cut inside after a pick-and-roll and dunked over Perkins for a 2+1 play, which was the best play of the game.

The two players don't seem to be in the same league. Perkins has well-rounded skills but relatively weak athleticism, making him completely outmatched by Xiao Tu.

Xiao Tu's playing style is passionate and aggressive, with an flamboyant personality, as if he has inexhaustible energy. Perkins' playing style is simple and unpretentious, quiet and reserved, with no temper whatsoever.

The University of North Carolina is known for producing team players; someone like Jordan is an exception.

After James Worthy entered the draft, coach Dean Smith intentionally suppressed Jordan's offensive desires and gave Perkins a lot of tactical support. The result was that Perkins edged out Barkley to become the fourth overall pick in the 84 draft, while Jordan, somewhat insecure, stated in an interview that his future ambition was simply to become an All-Star player.

Perkins had a strength advantage and decent height in the NCAA. However, in the NBA, his physical advantages are negligible; facing Xiao Tu's close defense, even getting a shot off with the ball is difficult.

Xiao Tu was pleasantly surprised to find that he had blew the whistle a lot today, and the referee's whistle-blowing standards had changed a bit.

Previously, when he attacked the basket, the referees wouldn't call it unless it was an obvious foul or pull in mid-air. When he was positioning himself off the ball, opponents could freely put their hands on him and push him outwards or grab his arms, and he would even be pulled when cutting inside.

Today, the Mavericks player made two pulling motions while defending Shaw's cut inside, and the referee called fouls even though he was off the ball.

The NBA's "hairline call" is a joke, more accurately described as a "star player call," originating in the 80s. To encourage star players to put up better stats and attract fans, the league would give preferential treatment to their favored players.

Xiao Tu is ranked among the top three in the league by Stern, and the refereeing certainly won't treat him unfairly. His rapid rise to the top three is due to the fact that current star players all have obvious weaknesses, which Stern doesn't value, preferring to promote young players. As long as Xiao Tu receives good calls, his advantage in the paint will be even greater in the future. Not only on offense, but also on defense, he can make bolder moves without worrying about foul trouble. Promoted stars rarely foul out; when they're off the court, who will the fans watch?

If Stern wants to promote someone, he will definitely take action, even if it's so obvious that it shocks everyone.

In a parallel universe, during the first round of the 1985 playoffs, the opponent realized that Jordan was untouchable. Jordan made slight contact with an opponent during a mid-range jumper, and the referee immediately awarded two free throws.

Although Jordan was eliminated in the first round of the series with a score of 1-3 against the Bucks, he averaged 14.5 free throw attempts per game, showing he was treated like a favored son.

Xiao Tu plans to try more drives to the basket and fewer jump shots. He wants to use this method to test whether he has star power; if so, driving to the basket will certainly be more threatening.

In a post-game interview, Xiao Tu said he had no particular feelings. He knew that Perkins in the parallel universe had never been selected as an All-Star, but had played for a longer period of time.

It was only natural that he beat such an opponent; he wouldn't say it out loud to save face for Perkins. After all, Perkins was a star in the NCAA tournament, which could boost Xiao Tu's popularity.

In a parallel universe, Perkins played three seasons for the Lakers as their starting center. However, he joined at the wrong time; the Lakers had already declined in the 90s, and he was unable to win a championship with the team.

If Xiao Tu had been there, the Lakers wouldn't have been weak in the 90s. If the management had acquired a deep-lying center like Perkins to partner with him, they could have made a significant tactical impact, and the team would have been quite strong.

Major media outlets unanimously praised Xiao Tu and downplayed Sam Perkins' prospects.

The Mavericks' management was very frustrated after watching the game, feeling they had drafted a bust. Perkins averaged 10.6 points and 7 rebounds per game at the start of the season, a mediocre performance, even worse than the 9th overall pick, Otis Thorpe.

Perkins is too short to play center, and lacks explosiveness to play power forward. His main scoring method is jump shots, and he can't cut inside and dunk like Xiao Tu. Everyone feels that he has no potential to be developed, and his physical attributes limit his ceiling.

Mavericks fans are heartbroken; nobody wants Perkins.

Wouldn't it have been great if the Mavericks had used the 4th pick to select Shaw? He would definitely have been able to become the leader of the team and lead them to great results.

Many team management teams think the same way; their draft picks were all higher than the Lakers', and they deeply regret it now.

The most upset team must be the Philadelphia 76ers, who used their 22nd pick to select guard Tom Sewell and traded him to the Washington Bullets. Philadelphia fans generally believe that Shawn Johnson is far superior to the 5th pick, Charles Barkley, and is the power forward the 76ers desperately need.

However, during the draft, no one was willing to risk using a high draft pick to select a white high school player, even knowing that Xiao Tu had strong running and jumping abilities.

The prejudice in people's hearts is like a mountain that can never be moved no matter how hard you try.

Unless you're cheating.

Xiao Tu is the most popular among the rookies, and his Lakers #24 jersey sold out quickly, making him a major focus of media attention.

Because Moses Malone also wore number 24, that number became a symbol of tough interior players. Los Angeles media touted Xiao Tu as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's successor, but fans felt he was more like Malone.

Even Kareem Abdul-Jabbar thinks so; he was a man of few words in interviews but a big fan of Xiao Tu. He openly admitted that Xiao Tu plays tougher, stronger, and more aggressively than him.

The two faced off daily in training. Xiao Tu's physicality prevented Kareem Abdul-Jabbar from entering the paint, and he used his superior jumping ability to disrupt shots. Abdul-Jabbar's shooting percentage decreased when he was too far from the basket, making it feel like a matchup against Karl Malone. Xiao Tu earned Abdul-Jabbar's respect through his skill.

In rebounding, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is no match for Xiao Tu. He's averaging only 6 rebounds per game this season, a career low.

Despite his poor rebounding numbers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was happy because he played with more ease than last season.

Magic Johnson and Xiao Tu have a better working relationship, with Johnson dishing out at least six assists against Xiao Tu every game. Point guards receive higher ratings for more assists.

Previously, Johnson had only won the Finals MVP twice, but this season he is expected to win the regular season MVP for the first time in his career.

Although he averages less than 20 points per game, he is highly likely to be selected as the team's core player if the Lakers have the best record.

(End of this chapter)